|  |  |  | | | | | The Guardian World News | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Festivities neglected as violence continues, with cities under fire and 10 bodies reportedly found bearing signs of torture The second day of Eid al-Fitr was marked in Syria by renewed shelling of key cities and the discovery of 10 bodies allegedly dumped in the street in a suburb of the capital after being tortured by pro-regime militia. Activists said the usual Eid festivities had been largely neglected. "There is no one inside Damascus, inside Syria, that doesn't have a friend or relative who has been lost or detained or killed, so it's a very sad Eid we are having," said one activist, Tarik, of the Revolutionary Leadership Council Damascus. As UN observers left their hotel in the capital, their mission having ended at midnight on Sunday, activists relayed details of another atrocity they said had been committed by the shabiha, the pro-Assad militia. Ten bodies were reportedly found in the Qaboun district bearing signs of torture. Video footage posted online showed bloodied and bruised bodies lying in the street. "When we got to the site, we found 10 naked bodies, some of them were handcuffed," said Abu Omer al-Qabouni, a Qaboun resident. "They were tortured in a barbaric way. They were tortured by electricity, stabbed by knives and burned by cigarette butts. Some of the bodies had crushed heads." He said he was able to personally identify two children among the victims – a seven-year-old boy and his sister, aged five. Shelling was reported in Damascus suburbs, with Mouadamiyeh and Daraya among the hardest hit, and in Aleppo, where the collapse of two buildings reportedly killed 14 people. In Deraa, activists said four members of the same family, including two children, were killed. Restrictions placed on foreign journalists make it impossible for the Guardian to independently verify activists' accounts. Kofi Annan's successor as UN and Arab League envoy to Syria was given an indication of the size of his task when he stepped straight into a row with an opposition group. The Syrian National Council demanded an apology from Lakhdar Brahimi after an interview he gave over the weekend in which he said he would not ask the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to resign because he did not "know enough about what is happening". His comments contrasted with those of Annan, who said on his departure from the role that Assad must leave office. The SNC said Brahimi had shown "disregard for the blood of the Syrian people". Turkey warned that it might soon run out of space for refugees. Ahmet Davutoglu, the foreign minister, told the Hurriyet newspaper that the UN might have to establish camps in a safe zone within Syria, as Turkey, which has already taken in 70,000 refugees, could only accommodate 100,000 in total.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Home of the Masters invites Condoleezza Rice and banker Darla Moore to become first female members to wear green jackets For the first time in its 80-year history, Augusta National Golf Club has female members. The home of golf's Masters championship, which has faced increasing criticism because of its all-male membership, invited former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the first women in green jackets when the club opens for a new season in October. Both women accepted. "This is a joyous occasion," Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said on Monday. The move likely ends a debate that intensified in 2002 when Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations urged the club to include women among its members. Former club chairman Hootie Johnson stood his ground, even at the cost of losing Masters television sponsors for two years, when he famously said Augusta National might one day have a woman in a green jacket, "but not at the point of a bayonet." Payne, who took over as chairman in 2006 when Johnson retired, said consideration for new members is deliberate and private, and that Rice and Moore were not treated differently from other new members. Even so, he took the rare step of announcing two of the latest members to join because of the historical significance. "These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership," Payne said in a statement. "It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens this fall. This is a significant and positive time in our club's history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family." A person with knowledge of club operations said Rice and Moore first were considered as members five years ago. That would be four years after the 2003 Masters, when Burk's protest in a grass lot down the street from the club attracted only about 30 supporters, and one year after Payne became chairman. Moore and Johnson are close friends, both with roots in South Carolina and banking, and the person said Payne and Johnson agreed on the timing of a female member. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the club typically does not discuss membership issues, said it was important to Payne to be respectful of the membership process. The person said prospective members often are not aware they are being considered. Augusta National, which opened in December 1932 and did not have a black member until 1990, is believed to have about 300 members. While the club until now had no female members, women were allowed to play the golf course as guests, including on the Sunday before the Masters week began in April. The issue of female membership resurfaced again this year after Virginia Rometty was appointed chief executive of IBM, one of the Masters' corporate sponsors. The previous four CEOs of Big Blue had all been Augusta National members, leading to speculation that the club would break at least one tradition – membership for the top executive of IBM or a men-only club. Rometty was seen at the Masters on the final day wearing a pink jacket, not a green one. She was not announced as one of the newest members. Moore, 58, first rose to prominence in the 1980s with Chemical Bank, where she became the highest-paid woman in the banking industry. She is vice president of Rainwater, a private investment company founded by her husband, Richard Rainwater. She was the first woman to be profiled on the cover of Fortune Magazine, and she made a $25 million contribution to her alma mater, South Carolina, which renamed its business school after her. Moore was mentioned as a possible Augusta National member during the height of the all-male membership debate in 2002. She and Johnson worked on South Carolina's $300 million capital campaign in the late 1990s. "Augusta National has always captured my imagination, and is one of the most magically beautiful places anywhere in the world, as everyone gets to see during the Masters each April," Moore said. "I am fortunate to have many friends who are members at Augusta National, so to be asked to join them as a member represents a very happy and important occasion in my life. "Above all, Augusta National and the Masters Tournaments have always stood for excellence, and that is what is so important to me." Rice, 57, was the national security adviser under former President George W. Bush and became secretary of state in his second term. The first black woman to be a Stanford provost in 1993, she now is a professor of political economy at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. "I have visited Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through this very special opportunity," Rice said in a statement released by the club. "I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf. I also have an immense respect for the Masters Tournament and its commitment to grow the game of golf, particularly with youth, here in the United States and throughout the world." Rice recently was appointed to the US Golf Association's nominating committee. Johnson regarded the membership debate as infringing on the rights of a private club, even though every April it hosts the Masters, the most popular of the four major championships, which brings in millions of dollars through television rights for the highest-rated telecast in golf. In a 2002 interview with the Associated Press, Johnson said the makeup of the club was more about four members-only parties each year than who plays the course. "Our club has enjoyed a camaraderie and a closeness that's served us well for so long, that it makes it difficult for us to consider change," he said. "A woman may be a member of this club one day, but that is out in the future."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Mark Zuckerberg loses half his personal fortune in market slide as shares go for $18.75, down from $38 IPO in May Facebook's shares hit new lows on Monday, sinking to less than half their initial public offering price and halving the fortune of founder Mark Zuckerberg. By mid-morning, Facebook's shares hit a new low of $18.75, less than half the $38 they were sold for in May amid the most heavily hyped stock sale in recent history. The slump has knocked close to $10bn off the value of Zuckerberg's stake in the firm, which is now worth about $9.5bn. Facebook's latest share slide comes after the expiration of a lock-up period that allows some of its earliest investors to sell more of their shares. The expiration increased the pool of available shares by 60% and confirmed analysts' fears that it might lead to more falls in Facebook's already battered share price. Some of Silicon Valley's most prominent investors are among those now able to reduce their holdings. Details of which large shareholders have decided to cash in are not yet available. Facebook's share price faces a series of other potential challenges in the next few months as more lock-up periods expire and staff are allowed to sell shares. Facebook's fall comes as its peers, too, have faced investor scepticism. Shares in Groupon, the daily deals site, are also close to new lows and early investors including Marc Andreessen, one of Silicon Valley's most respected investors, have been cutting their holdings. Shares in Zynga, the online games firm, have fallen over 68% since last year's initial public offering. The firm, whose hits include Words With Friends and Draw Something, was responsible for 12% of Facebook's revenue last year. On the day of its IPO in May Facebook was briefly valued at more than $100bn, more than the combined worth of Nike and Goldman Sachs. The social network is now valued at $40.61bn. The company is on course to claim a billion people as users this year. But while its size and reach are undisputed analysts fear that the firm has been unable to find a way to make money from its mobile users, the fastest growing sector of its business.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Following sentencing of three women from the all-female group, authorities confirm 'search operations are being conducted' Russian police are searching for more members of the Pussy Riot punk rock band, a spokeswoman said, signalling further pressure on the group despite an international outcry over jail terms for three women who protested in a church against Vladimir Putin. The Russian president's critics have condemned the court proceeding that yielded the two-year prison sentences on Friday as part of a clampdown on a protest movement and reminiscent of show trials of dissidents in the Soviet era. Police said on Monday they were searching for other members of the group in connection with the February protest at Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral, but had not yet identified the suspects. Police did not say how many people they were looking for, or whether they faced arrest and charges or were just wanted for questioning. Although the search was launched before Friday's verdict, the determination of police to pursue other Pussy Riot members suggested the Kremlin would keep the heat on the band despite the furore over the punishment imposed on the three young women. "The necessary search operations are being conducted," a representative of the Moscow police told Interfax news agency. A police spokeswoman in Moscow's central district confirmed by telephone that other, unidentified members of Pussy Riot were being sought under a criminal case that was now separate from the case against the three performers who were tried. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred over their performance of a "punk prayer" urging the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin. The three wore ski masks to conceal their identity, but were arrested after the protest. Two others who took part remain at large and the group has said it planned further demonstrations against Putin. In an interview last week, other members of Pussy Riot, their faces hidden behind colourful ski masks like those worn during the "punk prayer", said the trial had only strengthened their resolve. The European Union and a number of countries have called the sentences disproportionate, and the United States has urged the Russian authorities to review the case. Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina and Samutsevich said they had sought to protest against Putin's close ties with the Russian Orthodox church and had not set out to offend believers. Putin himself, an ex-KGB spy who returned to the presidency for a third term on 7 May after a four-year spell as prime minister, said before the sentences were pronounced that the women did "nothing good" but should not be judged too harshly. They have already been in jail for about five months, meaning they will serve another 19, and could be freed if Putin were to pardon them. The Orthodox Church hinted it would not oppose such a move by appealing, belatedly, for mercy. On Saturday, the pop singer Madonna joined a chorus of celebrities in denouncing the jail terms imposed on the three women. She said they were being sent to a "penal colony for ... a 40-second performance extolling their political opinions".
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Shannakay Hunter is accused of conspiring with US army private to marry to regain legal status and earn military benefits A Jamaican woman accused of entering into a "sham marriage" with a US soldier faces a federal trial on Tuesday during which jurors must decide whether she wed for love or for immigration purposes. Prosecutors say Shannakay Hunter was an a illegal immigrant who conspired with Joshua Priest, then a private in the US army, to enter into marriage so she could get a "green card" and regain her legal status, as well as receive military benefits such as healthcare for herself and her two children. Priest, 23, in turn received army housing and subsistence benefits provided to married soldiers. The government contends their May 2010 marriage in Junction City was never consummated and the couple never lived together. But the defence in its court filings has portrayed the 28-year-old Jamaican immigrant, who lives in the Bronx in New York, as a hardworking mother who admittedly overstayed her visa but married for love and that her husband only made the allegations of fraud out of anger. The defence plans to call as a witness the victim advocate who took care of Hunter after an alleged domestic abuse incident in Junction City involving Priest. Which portrayal of Hunter prevails fraud or loving wife will be determined during a three-day trial that begins in US district court in Wichita, Kansas. Hunter faces charges of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud and making a false statement to the government. If convicted she faces up to five years in prison on each count, although she would likely get far less, if any, prison time under federal sentencing guidelines. But she would likely be deported. "I am absolutely mystified by this prosecution," defence attorney Molly McMurray said in a phone interview. "You know, there are hordes of people coming into this country every day, and for some reason the government is picking on a woman who came here legally who has no criminal record. Now, she did overstay her visa, but she works and she takes care of her two children, who are United States citizens." Assistant US attorney Brent Anderson, who is prosecuting the case, in an email said: "We disagree with the lawyer's statement but we cannot respond to it as to this specific case until after the case has been concluded." Priest is expected to be the government's star witness. He pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and wire fraud in a deal with prosecutors for leniency in exchange for his testimony against his wife. He will be sentenced in October after admitting he got $26,000 in military benefits for married soldiers that he was not entitled to receive. The marriage came to the government's attention in February 2011 when Hunter returned to his base in Fort Riley from New York to make sure Priest would attend an upcoming immigration hearing in which her change of status was going to be heard. She told Priest's superiors that he failed to provide support to her since their marriage, as required by army regulations, and that he needed to be ordered to attend her impending immigration hearing, given his "moral obligation" to do so, according to a court filing. After his superiors confronted him, Priest told them the marriage was arranged so Hunter could get legal immigration status. His superiors ordered him to attend the immigration hearing but also reported the suspected marriage fraud to an US Immigration and Customs Enforcement fraud hotline and the army's Central Investigations Divisions, court documents show. Hunter's defence attorney acknowledged that while the couple has always lived apart, she would often come to visit her husband in Kansas. "She is adamant and has been the entire time that she is innocent," McMurray said. "It is weighing heavily on her."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Criticism of FSA tactics is building, dialogue seems unlikely and many feel the country's future will be decided by outsiders. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis grows ever worse "I escaped from Homs in February," said Abu Mohammed as his three children played in a nursery yard in Damascus. "We moved to Seida Zeinab and then that was bombed last month." All over the Syrian capital, in schools, hotels and private houses, tens of thousands of Damascenes who have fled their homes because of war are now living in misery. They include hundreds who moved from other cities to what they thought was the safety of Damascus and have had to flee again. Attacks on the capital's outlying districts continue relentlessly. In the leafy residential streets of central Damascus, the crump of distant artillery is a regular sound. People no longer shrink in horror but merely shrug and carry on. The cafes halfway up the tawny brown ridge of Mount Qassioun, which stretches along the city's northern edge, remain open but visitors have to pass army checkpoints to get there, since big guns are emplaced on the plateau above. As destruction creeps nearer, the mood has changed dramatically in the six months since I was last here. People on all sides – government sympathisers, opposition supporters and civilians who waver in the middle – all feel that Syria has become a victim and a plaything taken over by foreigners. "The situation is no longer in the hands of Syrians. We are pawns in a big game," said Youssef Abdelke, one of the country's leading artists. Whatever awaits them in the next few months, whether it is a change of regime, a political compromise or – the most likely scenario in the minds of people I spoke to – a further intensification of war, they feel it will be decided by outsiders. The discussion among Damascenes no longer centres on whether to support change or stick with the status quo for fear that the alternative to Bashar al-Assad's regime will be worse. The focus is on priorities. Which objective is more urgent: to stop the killing or to topple a regime that has shown greater resilience than many predicted? The argument that the opposition should negotiate with the regime about reform was never popular, given the regime's rejection of compromise and its long record of detaining critics. Dialogue now seems an even more remote option. Conversation centres on the tactics of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), or at least of those bands of young men who fight the government under its banner without co-ordination from any centre. Are they right to come into city districts and mount attacks on police and army buildings, knowing that retaliation will be massive, bloody and brutal? The army is to blame for destroying people's homes, but had the FSA not provoked it the homes might still be there and people might be alive. Khaled, a young man who lives with his parents in Old Mezzeh, showed me around in February. His district used to consist of fields of cactus plants surrounding cheaply built one- and two-storey breezeblock houses. Some years ago the main road to Beirut was driven through this poor rural area, uprooting people. Then came other wide avenues that now serve the Canadian and Iranian embassies as well high-rise flats, many of whose middle-class tenants are government employees and supporters. The government mounted an offensive on Old Mezzeh last month. The army has since piled mounds of earth to block access except through two entrance roads behind the flats where troops check IDs. Other troops mount patrols inside the district. Sitting in a parked car outside the area this week, Khaled said the trouble began when a rumour developed that the shabiha (ghosts), the pro-government militias, were about to raid Old Mezzeh and slaughter people. "Women and children left immediately and only men stayed. I was at home with my father. We asked the FSA to come and protect us. When they arrived, some were local people whom I knew, others were outsiders. People gave them food but they didn't sleep in our houses. For five or six days they were there but when word came of a government offensive they withdrew so as not to have ordinary people get hurt," he said. In spite of the FSA retreat, the security forces moved in. According to Khaled, they looted and burned shops, and about 30 young men were killed. Burials were held in groups of three at night. Older men were detained. Khaled and his father had left before the army incursion. Although his fellow villagers had invited the FSA, Khaled now thinks it was a mistake since they did not have the power to resist the army. "The tactics were not good. The FSA shouldn't come among houses since the security forces will destroy the area," he said. In Midan, another mixed district of old houses and narrow alleys leading to a settlement of better-off flats, barely two miles from central Damascus, it was the FSA that took the offensive in mid-July, according to residents. Gunmen moved in surreptitiously and attacked police stations. The army responded by sending tanks, whose treadmarks are still visible on the soft asphalt. Residents showed me the al-Majed mosque, where a shell had taken a large bite out of the minaret. Several houses on street corners with good strategic views down the alleys had been damaged by heavy weapons. Bullet holes pockmarked the metal shutters of shops, and I saw at least two cars that had been crushed by manoeuvring tanks. Anti-government graffiti had been painted over by troops. Now, two weeks after the government counterattack, a few shopkeepers had reopened for business or were repairing their ruined premises, but many residents were still sheltering elsewhere. "It was foolish to try to attack, and it's caused heavy human loss," said Abdelaziz Alkhayer, a veteran member of the opposition who was released in 2005 after 14 years in prison. "It was spontaneous, not well-organised, and they ran out of ammunition quickly. Some people who took part now feel deceived. We don't ask the FSA to put down their guns, otherwise they would be slaughtered. But they should not use them for offensives in city streets unless they can hold the ground." Louai Hussein, another critic of the regime, who heads Building the Syrian State, a non-governmental organisation, said criticism of FSA tactics was growing. "Support for the FSA in these attacks depends on whether the insurgents are local or from the outside," he said. Both men are longtime critics of the protest movement's militarisation. Under the auspices of the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome, a Catholic peace-building organisation with long international experience, they joined several other Syrian opposition groups last month in signing a declaration urging the FSA to abandon violence. "While recognising the right of citizens to legitimate defence, we repeat: weapons are not the solution," it said. "We must reject violence and the slide into civil war because that places at risk the state, and our national identity and sovereignty." One person who took a sensational step in warning Syrians against self-destruction was Rima Dali, who became a political celebrity overnight in April when she staged a protest outside parliament holding a banner saying "Stop the killing". Sarah Abu Assali, a local journalist, said she admired Dali's stand. "Within the areas of Damascus that have been affected by violence, I think the majority have turned against the FSA, but elsewhere more are moving towards it," she said. "I see an ongoing street war for at least a year – this is the best-case scenario." After the collapse of Kofi Annan's mediation efforts and while the world's major powers arm the two sides, the chances of a political solution are much smaller than they were six months ago, in Assali's view. "The regime is more determined than ever, and innocent people will pay the price. The outside powers just want to watch us fight each other," she said. In spite of recent high-level defections and the deaths of four senior security figures in a bombing last month, the regime's core appears solid. The army has recaptured lost ground in the city's inner districts and is trying to regain control of the eastern outskirts, in an area known as the Orchards, wearing down resistance by cutting off water and electricity, blocking access and carrying out heavy shelling and mass arrests. In the old city of Damascus, residents report that guns are being distributed, presumably by the government, to Christians and Shias, two minorities that are particularly alarmed by the rise of militant Sunnism and the arrival of elements from al-Qaida. Some government members accept they will never pacify the whole of Syria. "The government can hit the insurgents hugely and it can stop them existing in Aleppo but it can't stop them being in villages while the border is open. Military power has limits," said Kadri Jamil, a deputy prime minister. The humanitarian crisis is immense. Hundreds of Syrians have left for Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (Sarc) is distributing 175,000 food parcels within Syria. Close to a million people have been displaced countrywide. In Damascus the numbers fluctuate as some people go home after a few days while others flee. Sixty schools are being used as temporary shelters, and the government has not yet responded to Sarc's question about what will happen in mid-September when children are due to resume classes. To receive Sarc's aid, people have to be registered. Some fear this could lead to interrogation or arrest. In response, opposition supporters have set up independent shelters. Those who reject further militarisation are increasingly turning to humanitarian work as a way of taking non-violent action. They see it as a valuable form of political resistance. In a disused health clinic and a nearby private nursery in Barzeh I found homeless families with terrible stories of bombing and killing. Food, clothing and sleeping mats are supplied by neighbours or funded through donations, bypassing Sarc. "The country is almost destroyed. We have no idea what's going to happen," said Abu Mohammed, the father of three who was bombed out of Homs and bombed again in Damascus. "I never thought this could happen in Syria."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Follow the latest as the Romney campaign heads to New Hampshire ahead of the GOP national convention in Tampa next week
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Missouri Senate candidate says he 'misspoke' after his claim that rape victims rarely get pregnant sparks outrage on Sunday Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, a conservative Republican candidate for the US Senate, sparked a furore and earned a rebuke from Mitt Romney's campaign after saying that women's bodies can prevent pregnancies in "a legitimate rape" and that conception is rare in such cases. Akin, a six-term congressman running against incumbent Democratic senator Claire McCaskill, was asked in an interview broadcast Sunday on St Louis television station KTVI if he would support abortions for women who have been raped. "It seems to me first of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare," Akin said. "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," Akin said of a rape victim's chances of becoming pregnant. Akin said in an emailed statement later Sunday that he "misspoke" during the interview, though the statement did not specify on which points or comments. "In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year," Akin's statement said. Akin also said in the statement he believes "deeply in the protection of all life and I do not believe that harming another innocent victim is the right course of action." Akin's comments brought a swift rebuke from the campaign of presumptive GOP presidential candidate Romney. "Governor Romney and Congressman (Paul) Ryan disagree with Mr Akin's statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape," Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said. McCaskill, who is seeking a second term, in an emailed statement Sunday called the comments "offensive." "It is beyond comprehension that someone can be so ignorant about the emotional and physical trauma brought on by rape," McCaskill said. "The ideas that Todd Akin has expressed about the serious crime of rape and the impact on its victims are offensive." This month, Akin won the state's Republican Senate primary by a comfortable margin. During the primary, Akin enhanced his standing with TV ads in which former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee praised him as "a courageous conservative" and "a Bible-based Christian" who "supports traditional marriage" and "defends the unborn". Akin, a former state lawmaker who first won election to the US House in 2000, also has a long-established base among evangelical Christians and was endorsed in the primary by more than 100 pastors. Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, on Sunday called Akin's remarks "flat-out astonishing". "That kind of rhetoric re-traumatizes sexual assault victims. … That kind of talk, I believe, is intended to shame women," she told AP Radio. Akin was interviewed on KTVI's "The Jaco Report" and also talked about numerous campaign issues, such as voter ID laws, the economy and Medicare. KTVI said the interview was conducted earlier in the week.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Downing Street says it is obliged by law to extradite Assange to Sweden and 'it is our intention to carry out that obligation' Downing Street has said Britain is still committed to seeking a diplomatic solution with Ecuador in the standoff over the proposed extradition to Sweden of Julian Assange. But British diplomats in the Ecuadorean capital, Quito, and in other regional capitals have communicated the message that David Cameron is adamant Assange will not be granted safe passage. They say Britain is under a legal obligation to extradite Assange to Sweden to face allegations of sexual misconduct. The government's thinking was outlined by the prime minister's spokesman at the weekly Downing Street lobby briefing. The spokesman said: "Our hope is that we can reach a diplomatic solution and we are doing what we can to achieve that. "We will not grant safe passage for Mr Assange. Under our law, having exhausted all the options of appeal, we are obliged to extradite him to Sweden. It is our intention to carry out that obligation. We will continue talking to the Ecuadorean government and others to try and find a diplomatic solution here." On Sunday, Assange appeared on the first-floor balcony of the Ecuadorean embassy in Knightsbridge to declare he was facing a "witch-hunt" led by the US. Assange was granted political asylum last week by Rafael Correa, Ecuador's president, two months after the WikiLeaks founder sought refuge in the embassy. Ecuador tried to maintain diplomatic pressure on Britain, which warned last week it could revoke the diplomatic status of its embassy, by convening a meeting of foreign ministers from the 12-strong Unasur South American union in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city. The ministers condemned the British warning over the status of Ecuador's embassy but declined to endorse Correa's decision to grant asylum to Assange. Downing Street said British diplomats had been explaining to members of Unasur why Britain was determined to extradite Assange. The prime minister's spokesman said: "We are obliged to extradite this man. He faces some very serious allegations in Sweden. The extradition case has been heard in our courts. We have been through the process. We now have to proceed with our obligation, which is to extradite him to Sweden. "He [the prime minister] thinks we need to meet our obligations and that means extraditing him to Sweden. We will be making our position clear to the Ecuadorean government, to others in that region, to explain why this is the process and why we have to follow this process under the law." The spokesman defended the Foreign Office's decision to write to Ecuadorean officials last week pointing out that Britain could, under the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, revoke the diplomatic status of its embassy if it "ceases to use land for the purposes of its mission or exclusively for the purposes of a consular post". William Hague, the foreign secretary, denied Ecuadorean claims that this amounted to a threat to storm the embassy. The prime minister's spokesman said: "All we were doing last week was setting out the position as it stands. We were simply clarifying the legal position, no more than that. We will continue to talk to the Ecuadoreans to try to find a way forward here."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dramatic move towards freedom of expression gets cautious welcome from journalists, but restrictive media laws remain Burma's government says it is abolishing media censorship, marking the most dramatic move yet towards allowing freedom of expression in the south-east Asian nation. Under the new rules, journalists will no longer have to submit their work to state censors before publication as they have for the past 50 years. The move was cautiously welcomed by Burmese journalists as another sign of openness following the release of the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in November 2010. But deep concerns remain about restrictive press laws that are still in place and allow the authorities to crack down on journalists and even close publications deemed a threat to national security. Ye Naing Moe, who has worked as a journalist in Rangoon for 13 years, said the move made him feel hopeful for the future but that the battle was not yet won. "It is the beginning of a new age with new challenges and threats ahead," he warned. Matthew F Smith, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, said: "It's a positive development but too early to get enthusiastic. There is still an enormous amount of work to do to ensure press freedoms are protected. The same people who oversaw the jailing of journalists remain in power today. "This is an important announcement but there will still be a lot of pressure on journalists to self-censor and there is still a risk that journalists will be targeted by the authorities for probing sensitive issues." Burma's reporters had long been regarded as among the most restricted in the world. But President Thein Sein's reformist government has significantly relaxed media controls over the last year, allowing reporters to print material that would have been unthinkable during the era of absolute military rule – such as photographs of Aung San Suu Kyi when she was under house arrest in Rangoon. The information ministry, which has long controlled what can be printed, made the announcement on its website on Monday. Contrary to expectation, the censor board will not be abolished. Monday's announcement indicated it will retain the powers it has always had to suspend publications or revoking publishing licences if it deems publishing rules are violated. Nyein Nyein Naing, an editor from the 7 Day News Journal who attended Monday's meeting, said journalists will still have to submit their articles to the censor board. But now, she said, they will be required to do so after publication, apparently to allow the government to determine whether any publishing laws are violated. Those laws, in place since a military coup in 1962, include edicts prohibiting journalists from writing articles that could threaten peace and stability, oppose the constitution or insult ethnic groups. Critics say some laws are open to interpretation and give the government enormous power to silence dissent. They have been used repeatedly in recent years to jail members of the press. Nyein Nyein Naing welcomed the government announcement, but she added: "We have to be very cautious as [the state censor board] will keep monitoring us." It was not immediately clear to what degree continued government scrutiny could lead to self-censorship. Some topics remain highly sensitive, such as corruption and alleged abuses committed by army officers during the previous ruling junta. Overzealous authorities could use the threat of prosecution to prevent articles from being published or exact harsh punishments for material they dislike. As recently as 11 June, the government's press scrutiny and registration department ordered the suspension of a magazine called Snapshot. According to the Irrawaddy report, Snapshot had published a photo of a woman who was raped and murdered in Arakan State, igniting a wave of violence in the remote region of western Burma. Late last month, the censor board again flexed its muscles by ordering the suspension of two weekly magazines, the Voice Weekly and Envoy, for speculating on a still-anticipated cabinet reshuffle. Those punishments have since been lifted, and the two magazines are due to begin publishing again on 18 August. Shawn Crispin, the Committee to Protect Journalists' south-east Asia representative in Bangkok, said that "if the government is sincere in ending pre-publication censorship, it would represent a significant step forward for press freedom in Burma". However, he added that if press laws were not also reformed, "then all of these promises can be easily rolled back if they feel a free press threatens government security". "It is very encouraging for a journalist like me who has been struggling with this pre-press censorship for years," said Ye Naing Moe, a Burmese journalist who began his career working for an illegal weekly magazine during the 1988 uprising. He added: "I cordially welcome this announcement and feel positive for the future, but it does not mean I ignore the new types of challenges and battles lying ahead. At least now we just have left behind the most terrible way of controlling freedom of expression in [our] history." He said recent protests by young journalists demanding the right to publish freely may have prompted the move – but that a happy ending was not guaranteed after such a long spell of media oppression. "It's not a black and white situation. It is the beginning of a new age with new challenges and threats ahead. There are still many people who are not happy with the reforms." Dr Tint Swe, a former politician from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party who has been in exile in Delhi for 20 years, said Burma's military rulers were terrified of a popular uprising like those seen in the Middle East. "They are afraid of an Arab spring," he said, adding that the decision was another attempt to persuade the US in particular to drop sanctions against Burma. Plus, he said, a new net-savvy generation in Burma was now able to read foreign news rather than just the two state-owned propaganda sheets, the English-language New Light of Myanmar and the Burmese-language Mirror. "A new generation is being exposed to the outside world – the generals' children are now on a different wavelength from their parents," said Swe. Until recently, editions of New Light of Myanmar included a section entitled "People's desire" which listed a string of instructions for Burma's citizens. These included: "oppose those relying on external elements, acting as stooges, holding negative views"; " oppose those trying to jeopardise stability of the state and progress of the nation"; "oppose foreign nations interfering in internal affairs of the state" and "crush all internal and external destructive elements as the common enemy".
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Singer condemns conviction of Russian musicians, urging artists around the world to 'protest against this travesty' Madonna has condemned the two-year jail sentence given to three members of the Russian band Pussy Riot, describing the conviction as "inhumane". On Friday, Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, receiving a two-year prison sentence. The women had been charged in connection with an anti-Putin "punk prayer", performed inside Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in February. As Madonna pointed out, the protest lasted only 40 seconds – although it has since been viewed by millions online. "Even if one disagrees with the location or how they chose to express themselves, the sentence is too harsh and in fact is inhumane," Madonna wrote on Facebook. "I call on all those who love freedom to condemn this unjust punishment. I urge artists around the world to speak up in protest against this travesty. They've spent enough time in jail. I call on ALL of Russia to let Pussy Riot go free." Alyokhina, Tolokonnikova and Samutsevich had already been held for more than five months, without trial, by the time Madonna first voiced her support. At the beginning of August, when artists such as Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pete Townshend, Franz Ferdinand, Sting and Jarvis Cocker had condemned the women's arrest, Madonna's only comment on the matter, to a Russian television network, was that she was "sorry that they've been arrested". That changed when the singer prepared to play a stadium gig in Moscow, first by asking for the judge's leniency and then by appearing on stage in a balaclava with the band's name stenciled on her back. Putin supporters responded with disapproval: deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin suggested Madonna was a "slut … lecturing everyone on morality". But the singer seemed emboldened: at an appearance in Kiev she spoke out in favour of Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's jailed former prime minister, advising the crowd to "fight for what is right". She also advocated against anti-gay legislation in St Petersburg, referring to a new law as a "ridiculous atrocity". Ten anti-gay activists are now suing Madonna, demanding $10m for "moral damages and suffering".
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three-quarters of striking workers refuse to return to platinum mine where 44 people killed by police last week Around three-quarters of the workers at a South African platinum mine where 44 people were killed by police last week have refused to return to work despite an ultimatum by the mine's owners. About 3,000 striking rock-drillers were told by Lonmin, owner of the platinum mine in Marikana in North West province, to show up or potentially be sacked. A Lonmin spokesperson told Reuters: "Attendance has started slowly but is now up to 27%. But it is unclear if the striking workers are returning." South African media reports suggested that many would continue to stay away. Miner Kaizer Madiba told the Times newspaper: "People have died already so we have nothing more to lose … we are going to continue fighting for what we believe is a legitimate fight for living wages. We would rather die like our comrades than back down." A rock-driller told the Mail & Guardian's website: "It's better to die than to work for that shit … I am not going to stop striking. We are going to protest until we get what we want. They have said nothing to us. Police can try and kill us but we won't move." London-based Lonmin's deadline was also condemned by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu). "It is too harsh of management to talk in this way," said its treasurer, Jimmy Gama, describing the ultimatum as "very unfair". Thirty-four striking miners were gunned down at the mine on Thursday when they stormed a police line. Ten other people, included two police officers, died in violence earlier last week. The incident has stunned South Africans and provoked comparisons with the brutality of apartheid-era security crackdowns. President Jacob Zuma has announced a week of mourning after the tragedy, with flags flying at half mast all over South Africa, and set up a ministerial task team and judicial commission of inquiry. Two hundred and fifty-nine strikers arrested in connection with the protests will appear in the Rustenburg magistrates court on Monday facing charges including murder, attempted murder, armed robbery, public violence and malicious damage to property. Shares in Lonmin, the world's third biggest platinum producer, fell a further 5% on Monday.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wife of politician Bo Xilal has been handed a suspended death sentence which is usually commuted to life imprisonment Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced politician Bo Xilai, has escaped the death penalty for murdering British businessman Neil Heywood, a Chinese court announced on Monday. A spokesman for Hefei intermediate court said that although the "despicable" crime deserved the death sentence, it would be suspended for two years because the Briton had verbally threatened her son and because Gu suffered mental impairments. This had weakened her self-control, although she had the ability to understand her actions and their result. Suspended death sentences are almost always commuted to life imprisonment. Tang Yigan, who is also the court's vice-president, added that the 53-year-old regretted her crime and had also provided information to investigations into other people's crimes. According to his statement, she told the court: "The judgment is fair. It shows special respect to the law, to reality and to life." A family aide, Zhang Xiaojun, was handed a nine-year jail sentence. Tang said it was relatively lenient because the 33-year-old was an accessory rather than the crime's instigator, had confessed and had expressed regret. He Zhengsheng, a lawyer hired by relatives of Heywood to represent them at the hearing, said: "We respect the sentence from the court." He said he had informed the Briton's family of the decision and thanked everyone for their concern. Tang said the court believed Gu poisoned Heywood with cyanide after she and her son, Bo Guagua, had an economic dispute with Heywood in 2011. Its investigation "confirmed Neil Heywood threatened Bo [Guagua] verbally, making the conflict worse, but [found] no proof he had encroached on Bo [Momo]." According to accounts of her trial, Gu's lawyers claimed Heywood had at one point locked Bo Guagua into a home in the UK. Heywood's friends have said they do not believe he would have threatened Bo Guagua and fear he has been smeared to justify a lighter sentence for Gu. The Briton's death last November in south-western Chongqing – where Gu's husband Bo was then party secretary – was initially ascribed to excessive alcohol consumption. But the 41-year-old's death ultimately became the biggest political scandal in China for decades, only months ahead of a once-a-decade leadership transition. Authorities said even before Gu's trial began that the evidence against her was irrefutable. But analysts suggest officials have faced a dilemma in sentencing her: too lenient a punishment might suggest that those connected to powerful leaders could literally get away with murder, while too heavy a penalty might be seen as retaliation against the family of a popular official by rivals. "They didn't kill her. I think this is fair to her," said a friend of her family. A witness from the courtroom said Gu looked calm as she heard the sentence and said she was willing to accept education and reform herself. The defendants said they would not appeal. China's courts are controlled by the Communist party and experts say that the outcome of a case as sensitive as this one would have been decided at the highest levels. Suspended death sentences have become more common in recent years, with official sources indicating they exceeded actual death sentences in 2007. Joshua Rosenzweig, an independent human rights scholar in Hong Kong, said one study showed such sentences usually resulted in the criminals serving between 14 and 24 years, with an average of 18 years in prison. Gu might also be eligible for medical parole, but would have to wait two years for her sentence to be commuted and then serve a minimum of seven more years. Attention will turn to the fate of her husband, once tipped for a top leadership position. There has been no comment on Bo's case since the announcement this spring that he was being investigated for disciplinary violations and it is unclear whether he will face criminal charges or simply internal party measures. Some analysts think leaders may wish to wait until after the power transition before dealing with him. Chongqing's former police chief Wang Lijun, who triggered the scandal when he fled to the US consulate in Chengdu after breaking with Bo, is expected to go on trial soon. It remains unclear what charges he will face. In a statement, a spokesperson for the British embassy in Beijing said: "We welcome the fact that the Chinese authorities have investigated the death of Neil Heywood, and tried those they identified as responsible. "We consistently made clear to the Chinese authorities that we wanted to see the trials in this case conform to international human rights standards and for the death penalty not to be applied. "Our thoughts are with Mr Heywood's family during this distressing time. Consular officials have attended the trial to fulfil our consular responsibilities to the family and our focus remains on offering them all the support we can." In a separate session held immediately after Gu and Zhang were sentenced, four police officers from Chongqing were jailed for covering up the murder. Tang told reporters that the men knew Gu was the prime suspect but "faked, hid and destroyed" evidence so she would not face the law, with negative social consequences. Their actions led Heywood's relatives to agree to forego a postmortem. The court heard all four had confessed. Guo Weiguo was sentenced to 11 years as he was the most responsible, while three others were jailed for between five and seven years as they had not destroyed key evidence when Guo asked them to do so. None will appeal.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Follow the latest developments in Syria
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Germany's Steffen Kampeter says that Athens must make up any shortfall in its fiscal targets, while Greece's finance minister rejects euro exit
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Greek finance minister has ruled out leaving the eurozone, ahead of a series of crunch meetings that will help determine the next phase of the crisis
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Germany's Steffen Kampeter says that Athens must make up any shortfall in its fiscal targets, while Greece's finance minister rejects euro exit
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Reporters told they no longer have to submit stories to state censors before publication Burma's government says it is ending the longstanding practice of media censorship. The announcement is one of the most dramatic moves yet toward allowing freedom of expression in the country. Officials from the government's press scrutiny and registration department told reporters in Yangon on Monday that they no longer have to submit their work to state censors before publication. All reporters employed in local print media were previously obliged to send their stories to censors who had the final say in whether or not they could be published. President Thein Sein's reformist government has already dramatically eased media censorship, allowing local media outlets to print articles that would have been unthinkable during the era of absolute military rule, which finally ended last year.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Speech from balcony of Ecuador's London embassy calls on Barack Obama to abandon 'witch-hunt' against WikiLeaks The diplomatic standoff between Britain and Ecuador deepened on Sunday after WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange used an extraordinary appearance on the first-floor balcony of Ecuador's London embassy to berate the United States. With Metropolitan police officers watching from metres away, Assange called on President Obama to abandon what he called a "witch-hunt" against WikiLeaks. He said an alleged "FBI investigation" against his whistleblowing website should be "dissolved" and that the US should go back to its original "revolutionary" values. "As WikiLeaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of our societies," Assange said, standing on a white balcony just above the pavement, and flanked by Ecuador's yellow, blue and red flag. He added: "I ask President Obama to do the right thing: the United States must renounce its witch-hunt against WikiLeaks." Assange also thanked Ecuador's social democrat president, Rafael Correa, for granting him political asylum. Correa's decision, announced last Thursday, has set off a growing international row. Assange also thanked several other Latin American countries for their support – implicitly warning Britain that any dispute with Ecuador could rapidly snowball into a conflict with the entire region. More than 50 police officers surrounded the embassy in Knightsbridge, south-west London, on Sunday, with a police helicopter in the skies above, but they were clearly under orders not to try to arrest the WikiLeaks founder. Assange addressed around 100 well-wishers, with supporters including Tariq Ali and former British ambassador Craig Murray making speeches from the street. Assange spoke for 10 minutes. He appeared cheerful, if unsurprisingly pale. This was his first public appearance since he slipped into the embassy two months ago and the latest surreal episode in a soap opera that has seen him go from the High Court to house arrest in Norfolk and now to an embassy camp-bed in genteel Kensington and Chelsea, less than 50m from Harrods. The 41-year-old Australian took refuge in the embassy after the supreme court ordered his extradition to Sweden, where he faces allegations of serious sexual misconduct. Assange pointedly did not mention those allegations on Sunday, instead casting his predicament as a universal one of free speech struggling to survive in a "dangerous and oppressive world". Britain says it is obliged to implement EU extradition law and will arrest Assange the second he leaves the building. Speaking from the balcony in SW1, Assange claimed that the Met had come close to storming the embassy late last Wednesday. Britain sent a letter to Ecuador last week stating that it believes it is entitled to arrest Assange inside the building under the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987. The claim has enraged the government in Quito, which says the 1961 Vienna convention protects its – and others' – diplomatic territory. Assange said: "Inside this embassy in the dark, I could hear teams of police swarming up inside the building through its internal fire escape." He said the only reason the UK "did not throw away the Vienna convention the other night" was because "the world is watching". He also thanked embassy staff, "who have shown me hospitality and kindness, despite the threats we all received". Despite the heavy police presence on Sunday, the Foreign Office is clearly trying to find a diplomatic solution to the row with Ecuador. Foreign secretary William Hague has made it clear there is no suggestion that police would "storm" the embassy. But Assange's provocative balcony appearance, in which he praised "courageous Ecuador" while disparaging Britain, his long-suffering host country, will have won him few new friends in Downing Street. Assange's supporters claim that if he is sent to Sweden he is in danger of being extradited to the US to be charged with espionage. Sweden has vehemently denied this. On Sunday Assange said: "Will it [the US] return to and reaffirm the revolutionary values it was founded on, or will it lurch off the precipice, dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world?" He said there should be no "foolish talk" about prosecuting media organisations, mentioning not only WikiLeaks but also the New York Times, a paper Assange has previously bitterly criticised. He also called on the US to end its "war on whistleblowers", and demanded that Bradley Manning, the US army intelligence analyst suspected of leaking information, be released. Manning has been charged with transferring classified data and delivering national defence information to an unauthorised source. He faces up to 52 years in jail. Assange called him a hero and "an example to all of us" – drawing cheers from WikiLeaks fans packing the Knightsbridge pavement. "On Wednesday, Bradley Manning spent his 815th day of detention without trial," Assange said. "The legal maximum is 120 days." Assange also made a rare mention of his children, "who have been denied their father". He said he hoped soon to be back with them and the rest of his family, adding: "Forgive me, we will be reunited soon."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Unasur group, which includes Argentina and Venezuela, attacks alleged plan to enter building and arrest WikiLeaks leader Foreign ministers of South America's 12-nation union have condemned Britain's alleged threat to forcibly enter the Ecuadorean embassy in London and arrest the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. A brief statement by the ministers did not, however, endorse Ecuador's decision to grant asylum to Assange, who is wanted by Sweden for questioning about allegations of sexual misconduct. The ministers of the Unasur group issued the statement after they met in Guayaquil, Ecuador, at the host nation's request. The group's general secretary, Ali Rodriguez of Venezuela, said the meeting lasted 20 minutes. The ministers "condemned the threat of the use of force between states" and reiterated "the right of states to concede asylum", the statement said. They also urged the parties to follow the "path of dialogue and direct negotiations" to reach a mutually acceptable solution to the impasse. Assange has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy for two months and Britain is refusing him safe passage out of the country. The alleged British threat came in a diplomatic letter delivered to Ecuador on Wednesday, a day before it granted Assange asylum. Britain later said it had no intention of storming the embassy, which would breach the 1961 Vienna convention, which declares foreign embassies inviolate. Unasur's gathering came a day after the regional Alba group of leftist governments also held a meeting in Guayaquil, at which Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Argentina all endorsed Ecuador's asylum decision about Assange. Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Chile are among Latin American nations that have not taken a stand. Ecuador says it granted asylum because neither Britain nor Sweden would offer guarantees they would not allow Assange's extradition to the US. Supporters of Assange say they fear he has been secretly indicted by a grand jury in the US. The Ecuadorean president, Rafael Correa, says there is sufficient reason to fear the Australian ex-hacker who published the largest trove of US secrets ever in 2010 would be denied due process in the US and could face life in prison or even the death penalty. "If we compare the arguments of the two countries, right is on our side," Ecuador's foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, said, comparing his nation to Britain. He said that Ecuador had not decided whether to appeal to the UN over the dispute, adding that he would await the outcome of a meeting on Friday in Washington. Foreign ministers of the Organisation of American States, which includes the US and Canada, will discuss the matter at the meeting. Retired US diplomat Myles Frechette, an expert on the region, said he doesn't expect any kind of consensus in support of Ecuador's decision to give Assange asylum. "While some of the governments in the region will cheer Correa's little guy exposure of US arrogance in commenting on some of the actions of other governments (in diplomatic cables published online by WikiLeaks), some like Chile, Colombia, Brazil and Peru want to be taken seriously as internationally credible interlocutors," Frechette said.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tony Scott, director of Top Gun and Crimson Tide, has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles, authorities said The film director Tony Scott has jumped to his death from a suspension bridge over Los Angeles harbour, shocking Hollywood. The 68-year-old British director of Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II and Crimson Tide leaped from the Vincent Thomas bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal island at 12.30pm local time on Sunday. Authorities found a suicide note in his car, a black Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the bridge's eastbound lanes, a coastguard spokesman, Lt Jennifer Osburn, told reporters. Several witnesses reportedly saw Scott climb a fence on the south side
of the bridge's apex. He "jumped without hesitation", said official sources quoted in the Daily Breeze. The Los Angeles Police Department, California Highway Patrol, firefighters and the coastguard conducted a search, while cargo vessels slowed during their passage through the main channel so as to minimise disturbance. Sonar equipment helped divers locate and recover the body around 4.30pm. It was taken to a dock in Wilmington. A county coroner confirmed the identity later on Sunday evening. The news bewildered Hollywood. Scott, the younger brother of Ridley, also a director and his production partner, had made big-budget features and worked with A-list stars over a long career. Rarely seen without his trademark red baseball cap, he had collaborated with Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Robert De Niro and Gene Hackman, among others, in action movies and thrillers. Hits included The Taking of Pelham 123, Man on Fire, The Last Boy Scout, Enemy of the State and True Romance. One of Scott's most recent productions, made with his brother, was Coma, a four-hour medical thriller due for release next month on A&E. There was no immediate explanation for why Scott, who grew up by the river Tyne in northern England and followed Ridley into advertising then film, should have taken his own life. Tributes immediately flowed on Twitter. "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day," tweeted the director Ron Howard. "RIP Tony Scott. So sad to hear this," said the documentary-maker Morgan Spurlock. "We are absolutely devastated by the passing of director Tony Scott. He will be truly missed," said a statement from Tribeca Film. Film director Duncan Jones, who directed Moon and Source Code, tweeted: "Just heard about Tony Scott news. Horrible ... Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under his wing & ignited my passion to make films." Jones added: "Awww Tony. Wish you had felt there was a way to keep going. What a sad waste. My thoughts go out to his wife and beautiful children." Scott was married to Donna Scott, who had starred alongside Tom Cruise in Scott's 1990 film Days of Thunder. The couple had twin boys, Frank and Max. The director, whose full name was Anthony David Scott, lived in Beverly Hills, about 30 miles north from Long Island and the Vincent Thomas bridge, a 1,500ft structure built in 1963 to augment ferry services between San Pedro and Terminal Island. In 1990, Larry Andreasen, a former Olympic diver who sought to break records for high dives, was killed by diving from the west tower of the bridge, a reported drop of 385ft.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tony Scott, director of Top Gun and Crimson Tide, has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles, authorities said Film director Tony Scott has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles, US authorities said today. The 68-year-old, originally from North Shields, was best known for Hollywood blockbusters Top Gun, Days Of Thunder and Beverley Hills Cop II. He was the younger brother of film-maker Ridley Scott. Scott leapt from the Vincent Thomas Bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal Island in Los Angeles. Lieutenant Joe Bale of Los Angeles County Coroner's office said Scott's death was being treated as a suicide. A US Coast Guard spokeswoman told local newspaper The Daily Breeze that a suicide note was found inside Scott's car, a black Toyota Prius, which was found parked on an eastbound lane of the bridge. Film director Duncan Jones, who directed Moon and Source Code, wrote on Twitter: "Just heard about Tony Scott news. Horrible... Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under his wing & ignited my passion to make films." He added: "Awww Tony. Wish you had felt there was a way to keep going. What a sad waste. My thoughts go out to his wife and beautiful children."
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tony Scott, director of Top Gun and Crimson Tide, has died after jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles, authorities said The film director Tony Scott has jumped to his death from a suspension bridge over Los Angeles harbour, shocking Hollywood. The 68-year-old British director of Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II and Crimson Tide, among other films, leaped from the Vincent Thomas bridge spanning San Pedro and Terminal island at 12.30pm local time on Sunday. Authorities found a suicide note in his car, a black Toyota Prius, which was parked on one of the bridge's eastbound lanes, a coast guard spokesman, Lt Jennifer Osburn, told reporters. Several witnesses reportedly saw him climb a fence on the south side
of the bridge's apex. He "jumped without hesitation", said official sources quoted in The Daily Breeze. The Los Angeles Police department, California Highway Patrol, firefighters and the coast guard searched the water for his body. Cargo vessels slowed during passage through the main channel so as to minimise disturbance. Sonar equipment helped divers locate and recover the body around 4.30pm. It was taken to a dock in Wilmington. A county coroner confirmed the identity later on Sunday evening. The news bewildered Hollywood. Scott, the younger brother of Ridley, also a director and his production partner, had made big budget features and worked with A-list stars over a long career. Known for a trademark red baseball cap, he had collaborated with Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Robert de Niro and Gene Hackman, among others, in action movies and thrillers. Hits included The Taking of Pelham 123, Man on Fire, The Last Boy Scout, Enemy of the State and True Romance, which he produced but did not direct. One of Scott's most recent productions, made with his brother, was Coma, a four-hour medical thriller starring due for release next month on A&E. There was no immediate explanation for why Scott, who grew up by the river Tyne in northern England and followed Ridley into advertising, then film, should have taken his own life. Tributes immediately flowed on twitter. "No more Tony Scott movies. Tragic day," tweeted the director Ron Howard. "RIP Tony Scott. So sad to hear this," said the documentary maker Morgan Spurlock. "We are absolutely devastated by the passing of director Tony Scott. He will be truly missed," said a statement from Tribeca Film. Film director Duncan Jones, who directed Moon and Source Code, tweeted: "Just heard about Tony Scott news. Horrible... Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under his wing & ignited my passion to make films." Jones added: "Awww Tony. Wish you had felt there was a way to keep going. What a sad waste. My thoughts go out to his wife and beautiful children." Scott was married to Donna Scott, who had starred alongside Tom Cruise in Scott's 1990 film Days of Thunder. The couple had twin boys, Frank and Max. The director, whose full name was Anthony David Scott, lived in Beverly Hills, about 30 miles north from Long Island and the Vincent Thomas bridge, a 1,500ft structure built in 1963 to augment ferry services between San Pedro and Terminal Island. In 1990 Larry Andreasen, a former Olympic diver who sought to break records for high dives, was killed by diving from the west tower of the bridge, a reported drop of 385ft.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wife of politician Bo Xilal has been handed a suspended death sentence which is usually commuted to life imprisonment Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced politician Bo Xilai, has escaped the death penalty for murdering Neil Heywood, a lawyer representing the British businessman's family said. He Zhengsheng told reporters outside the court in Hefei that Gu had been handed a suspended death sentence - usually commuted to life imprisonment after two years - while the family aide Zhang Xiaojun had been jailed for nine years. He added: "I respect the sentence from the court. I have not met the relatives. We will discuss this later. The court had reasons." The lawyer said that Gu was allowed to make a statement to the court, but gave no details. He thanked everyone for their concern. Analysts had thought it likely that the 53-year-old former lawyer would be given the suspended death sentence, after her one day trial earlier this month pointed to mental health issues and claimed that she had killed the Briton because she feared for her son's life - possibly mitigating factors. Heywood's friends say they believe he has been smeared. Gu had reportedly requested a lighter sentence for Zhang, 33, on the grounds he was only an accessory to the crime. Heywood's death last November in south-western Chongqing - where Gu's husband Bo was then party secretary - was initially ascribed to excessive alcohol consumption. His family accepted the conclusion, although friends were suspicious because he was only a light drinker. But the 41-year-old's death ultimately became the biggest political scandal in China for decades, only months ahead of a once-a-decade leadership transition. China's courts are controlled by the Communist party and the guilty verdict was never in doubt. Authorities said even before her trial began that the evidence against her was indisputable. But analysts suggest officials have faced a dilemma in handling the case: too lenient a sentence might suggest that those connected to powerful leaders could literally get away with murder, while too heavy a punishment might be seen as retaliation against the family of a popular official by rivals. The conclusion of Gu's trial seems unlikely to conclude the scandal as neatly as officials might hope. While discussion of the case has been heavily censored in China, conspiracy theories have abounded, with some even suggesting that the woman seen in court footage - looking considerably heavier than Gu had appeared in previous pictures - was a stand-in. More pertinently, Bo's fate remains unclear. There has been no comment on his case since the announcement in April that he was under investigation by disciplinary authorities. His wife's case has been held in Hefei, Anhui province - well away from Beijing, the country's capital, and Chongqing, where her husband remains highly popular. Chongqing's former police chief Wang Lijun, who triggered the scandal when he fled to the US consulate in Chengdu after breaking with his patron, Bo, is expected to go on trial soon. It remains unclear what charges he will face.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Members of an organised network of Gaddafi loyalists linked to car bombing attacks in Tripoli which killed two people Libyan security officials have arrested 32 members of an organised network of Gaddafi loyalists linked to boming attacks in Tripoli on the eve of the anniversary of the fall of the city to rebel fighters. Three car bombs exploded near interior ministry and security buildings in the Libyan capital, killing two people on Sunday. Large numbers of police were deployed to cordon off the sites of the blasts in residential areas in central Tripoli, and remove the charred vehicles and other debris. They were the first fatal attacks of their kind since a revolt led to Gaddafi's overthrow and death last year after 42 years in power. The first bomb blew up near the interior ministry's administrative offices in Tripoli but caused no casualties, security sources told Reuters. On arriving at the site, police found another car bomb that had not blown up. Minutes later, two car bombs exploded near the former headquarters of a women's police academy, which the defence ministry has been using for interrogations and detentions, the sources said, killing two civilians and wounding three. "The (victims) were two young men in their 20s. They drove past the police academy precisely at the time of the explosion," a security source said. The blasts, which caused minor damage to the buildings and shattered windows of nearby cars and buildings, took place early in the day as worshippers prepared for mass morning prayers marking Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim celebration that marks the end of the fasting month Ramadan. The 32 people were arrested after security forces raided several locations in and around Tripoli, tipped off by what a security official said were leads from "closed-circuit street cameras and intelligence." The official, from the Supreme security committee that has been supervising security matters since Gaddafi's fall, told Reuters connections between the group and the attacks "have been established". The latest attacks will test the mettle of the national assembly, which made improving security a priority when it assumed control this month from the National Transitional Council of opposition forces that toppled Gaddafi. Its main task will be containing numerous armed groups, mostly militias who took part in the uprising, who refuse to lay down their weapons. Disarming them remains a challenge. The 200-member assembly will name a new prime minister who will pick his government, pass laws and steer Libya to full parliamentary elections after a new constitution is drafted next year. Persistent instability has affected Libya's relations with other countries and international organisations whose help it needs in its drive for stability, security and economic reconstruction. The International Committee of the Red Cross suspended its activities in Benghazi, Libya's second biggest city, and Misrata after one of its compounds in Misrata was attacked with grenades and rockets.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ichiro Suzuki hits two home runs as the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox and clinch series win at Yankee Stadium.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The struggling Boston Red Sox send Josh Beckett (5-10) to the mound at Yankees Stadium against Hiroki Kuroda (11-8) and the New York Yankees.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Missouri, causes furore with explanation of his no-exceptions policy on abortion A Republican Senate hopeful sparked outrage on Sunday by suggesting that "legitimate rape" rarely results in pregnancy due to a woman's biological defences. Todd Akin, a member of the House of Representatives and recently appointed Senate nominee for Missouri, made the claim during an interview in which he attempted to explain his no-exceptions policy in regards to abortion. In reference to pregnancy resulting from rape, Akin told KTVI-TV: "First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that is really rare. "If it is a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down." But if that "didn't work", then the punishment should be "on the rapist and not attacking the child", Akin added. A video clip of the interview soon went viral, leading to online criticism directed at the Republican politician. Akin recently won the GOP nomination for a Senate seat that he is currently favourite to win. The incumbent senator he hopes to beat, Democrat Claire McCaskill, was among those who rebuked him online as the term "legitimate rape" began trending on Twitter. "As a woman & former prosecutor who handled 100s of rape cases, I'm stunned by Rep Akin's comments about victims this AM," she tweeted. Medical studies in the US suggest that 5% of rapes result in the victim becoming pregnant, with about 32,000 pregnancies in the US every year being the result of rape. In a statement, Akin later claimed he "misspoke" and that his off-the-cuff remarks did not "reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year". But the fallout from the remarks may have already damaged his prospects in the Missouri race and will give encouragement to Democrats who fear losing the senate seat in the forthcoming general election.
 | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire