| |  | | | | | SHUTTING DOWN Feed My Inbox will be shutting down on January 10, 2013. To find an alternative service for email updates, visit this page. | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | The Guardian World News | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Alleged microblogger is cousin of prominent opposition journalist who has been critical of the Venezuelan government Venezuelan intelligence officers have raided the home of a Twitter user suspected of spreading destabilising rumours about the health of Hugo Chávez ahead of an inauguration that the ailing president looks increasingly unlikely to attend. The alleged microblogger, Federico Medina Ravell is the cousin of a prominent opposition figure, prompting concerns that a long-simmering "information war" could be escalating as the government and its opponents try to fill the vacuum left by a leader who has not been seen or heard in public since he flew to Cuba for emergency cancer surgery a month ago. The team of Sebin (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service) officers confiscated several computers from Medina's home in Valencia on Sunday night, according to domestic newspapers. Medina is the cousin of Alberto Federico Ravell, a well-known opposition journalist and co-founder of Globovision, a major news broadcaster and staunch critic of the Chávez government. Medina, who was not at home, is accused of instigating terrorism through social networking sites. He is said to be behind the @LucioQuincioC Twitter account, which has claimed that Chávez will not return from Havana. The account remains active and claims to be a collaboration between 20 bloggers in eight cities, mostly overseas. Other Twitter users are mocking Sebin by claiming to have spotted @LucioQuincioC elsewhere, including the peaks of the Andes and drinking cocoa in Calgary. The raid underpins the heightened political sensitivity ahead of a scheduled swearing-in ceremony on Thursday that seems likely to be postponed amid uncertainty about both Chávez's health and what happens when a president-elect cannot attend his inauguration. An official health bulletin last week said the president was suffering from complications brought on by a severe lung infection after surgery. The opposition have demanded more detailed information about his prognosis. Foreign news organisations and Twitter accounts have spread rumours that he is in a coma, on a life support system or dead. One tweet from an account called @estebangerbasi, which has almost 80,000 followers, has called for a nationwide civic strike on 10 January if the inauguration fails to take place, prompting accusations of a coup d'etat in the making from both camps. Venezuela's vice-president, Nicolás Maduro, rebutted both the speculation and the call for protests on Monday. "If the opposition or the right is calling for a national civic strike this 10 January our country will respond, you will see our response, work, work and more work", he said during a school visit. He told the children that president Chávez sent them "a kiss and an excited hug". Last week, he said an opposition spokesperson, Ramón Guillermo Aveledo, was behind the rumour campaign on Twitter and Facebook. Analysts on the state-backed channel Telesur claimed the government was under information attack. "This is an information war. All through the Bolivarian revolution you have seen this sustained information war. Twitter and the social networks are just extensions of this war," said Cuban journalist and editor of Cubadebate, Rosa Miriam Elizalde. "We have to confront this impressive power on social networks that is able to destroy the consciousness of a people with ill-intentioned and misconstrued news," added Piedad Córdoba, a Colombian activist and long-time Chávez ally. Both sides have accused the other of trying to destabilise the country by withholding information or spreading lies. Outsiders have also been blamed for fomenting psychological war. Last Thursday the minister of information, Ernesto Villegas, said international media organisation had spread rumours regarding Chávez's health in an attempt to destroy the Bolivarian revolution. Last week, opposition spokesman Aveledo said the government should disclose more medical information about Chávez and arrange for him to be replaced temporarily if he cannot attend the Thursday inauguration. "The real truth of the situation regarding the health of the president must be told given that it is a national problem because this deals with the leader of the country," he said. "Rumours are the offspring of misinformation and that's where the instability begins." For all the talk of instability and power struggles, however, the streets of Venezuela remain calm.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Google says it is not an official visit; the state department has described it as unhelpful. So just what is Eric Schmidt up to? As diplomatic encounters go, it has to be among the most intriguing: the head of a revolutionary technology company that has helped secure the open flow of information around the world steps inside one of the globe's most closed societies. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, arrived in North Korea on Monday at the start of a private visit that has already provoked a public wrist-slapping from the US state department. Officials said the timing of the trip was "unhelpful", coming less than a month after Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket in defiance of the international community. The visit has also inevitably prompted speculation about Google's intentions in engaging with a country that stands at the polar opposite of its core value of open information access. North Korea operates a form of intranet inside its territory, but it is available only to a tiny elite of favoured individuals and almost all residents have no access to the internet. The speculation has been only heightened by Google's reticence in discussing its chairman's trip. All the search giant would say was that Schmidt was acting in a "personal" capacity. Schmidt is being accompanied on the trip by Bill Richardson, the former Democratic governor of New Mexico who has visited North Korea several times before. Before departing, Richardson attempted to squash any loose talk about Google, while at the same time fanning the flames of speculation by referring to social media as one area of Schmidt's interest. "This is not a Google trip," he said. "But I'm sure [Schmidt] is interested in some of the economic issues there, the social media aspect." Richardson himself is likely to be focusing on attempts to persuade the regime to release a US citizen currently detained in Pyongyang. Richardson said he had been in touch with the family of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American who has been held captive for several months, and will ask after his status. Professor Charles Armstrong, director of the Center for Korean Research at Columbia University, said he was unconvinced by the idea that the trip was primarily a rescue mission. "This is odd: it doesn't make sense for the chairman of Google to help rescue Americans from North Korea. Clearly, there has to be another agenda here that nobody is talking about." Armstrong said that North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, who took power a little over a year ago after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, had made tentative indications that he wanted to move in the direction of greater information technology. There has already been movement in the use of mobile phones, with more than a million cellular devices in circulation. "It's extraordinary that you can a country that is in some ways quite industrialised where there is essentially no public internet access," Armstrong said. "Somehow, Eric Schmidt must have got the hint that this could become a potential market for Google." Other observers of foreign affairs and the politics of the internet were sceptical that the visit revealed anything at all about Google's plans in Asia. PJ Crowley, the former state department spokesman who is now at George Washington University, said he doubted the new North Korean leader had any plans to open up internet access. "If Pyongyang loses its control over information, the regime is doomed. The moment the average North Korean understands the gap between their lives and South Koreans', the game is over." As for the state department's admonishment of Schmidt and Richardson, Crowley said that was purely for public consumption. "The state department has to say that. US policy is not to reward bad behaviour, and there's no question that North Korea is guilty of that." In contrast to the peeved impression given out by the Obama administration, it would, in fact, be keenly interested in anything the visitors could find out about the highly secretive regime. "The state department has listened attentively to Bill Richardson after he returned from previous trips to Pyongyang, and I have no doubt they will listen equally attentively this time." Evgeny Morozov, who wrote an influential book about the use of the internet by oppressive regimes called The Net Delusion, said: "I'm sure Google's PR department is terrified about this trip. It makes no corporate sense for Google to be involved in North Korea, not least because there are still sanctions in place." Morozov, whose new book To Save Everything Click Here is published in March, said a more likely explanation for Schmidt's visit was that it was part of his bid to position himself as a thinker on, and explorer of, globalisation. He pointed out that Schmidt has his own book out, the New Digital Age, in April. Schmidt's co-author of that volume, Jared Cohen, is a former state department official who now runs Google Ideas, a global think tank based in New York. A close observer of the Arab spring who was in both Iran and Egypt during key moments in their protest movement, Cohen is accompanying the Google chairman on his trip to Pyongyang.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | After a strategy of 'climate silence' during president's first term, activist groups signal intent to be more vocal in next four years More than 70 environmental groups called on Barack Obama to take the lead on climate change on Monday, urging him to shut down ageing power plants and block a controversial tar sands pipeline project. In an open letter (PDF), environmental groups reminded Obama of his promise to act on climate change in his second term – and then laid out three specific actions including shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline. About 50 protesters tried to occupy the Houston offices of TransCanada Corp, the company building the pipeline, on Monday. Two were reportedly arrested. The letter said that at the very least, Obama should lead the public debate on how to protect American cities and coastlines from climate change. "Raise your voice," the letter said. "Lead the public discussion of what we need to do as a nation to both prepare for the changes in climate that are no longer avoidable and avoid changes in climate that are unacceptable. " The letter, though largely positive in tone, represents a change of strategy for environmental groups at the start of Obama's second term. After mixed results in Obama's first four years, environmental groups appear to have come to the conclusion they need to be more vocal about demanding action from the White House, to keep climate change from slipping off the president's second term agenda. The letter urged Obama to set new pollution controls for existing power plants. A report released last month by the Natural Resources Defense Council set out a plan for cutting carbon emissions from power plants 26% by the end of the decade. The open letter also pressed Obama to put a stop to the Keystone XL pipeline project, designed to pump crude from the Alberta tar sands to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. Obama put a hold on final approval of the pipeline early last year, but industry and environmental groups expect a decision early in his second term. "We should not pursue dirty fuels like tar sands," the open letter said. "The Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is not in our national interest because it would unlock vast amounts of additional carbon that we can't afford to burn." Since the election, environmental groups have grown increasingly concerned about how to hold Obama to his commitment to act on climate change. Obama, on the night of his re-election, ranked climate change as one of the three priorities of his second term. The devastation of superstorm Sandy also brought climate change back into the public conversation. But some environmental leaders said they feared those opportunities could slip away, with Obama caught up in other pressing issues such as gun control or immigration. They are also keen to avoid their own mis-steps of Obama's first term. Early in Obama's administration, the larger environmental groups in particular fell into line with a White House strategy of avoiding direct discussion of climate change – ostensibly to avoid a political backlash from industry groups. Environmental leaders now concede that policy of "climate silence" was a mistake – one they do not want to replicate in an Obama second term.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | President says Hagel would help restore bipartisan tradition and tries to separate Brennan from legacy of Bush White House President Obama made a flag-waving appeal to patriotism in nominating Chuck Hagel as his new defence secretary on Monday, as he highlighted Hagel's military valour to deflect his Republican critics. "Chuck Hagel's leadership of our military would be historic," Obama said in remarks to formally nominate Hagel during a ceremony at the White House. "He'd be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of defense, one of the few secretaries who've been wounded in war, and the first Vietnam veteran to lead the department." Hagel's nomination has come under assault from Republicans who regard him as overly critical of Israel and weak in dealing with Iran. But Obama sought to turn the subject back to Hagel's bravery under fire – and remind Hagel's critics that the former Nebraska senator was battle-tested in more ways than one. Obama noted that he enlisted in the army and volunteered in Vietnam. "Chuck bears the scars and the shrapnel from the battles he fought in our name," Obama said. Countering criticism of Hagel as a high-profile objector to the Bush administration's "surge" offensive in Iraq, Obama reminded his listeners: "Chuck knows that war is not an abstraction. He understands that sending young Americans to fight and bleed in the dirt and mud, that's something we only do when it's absolutely necessary." Obama was also careful to highlight that, as a former Republican politician, Hagel "represents the bipartisan tradition that we need more of in Washington." But some Republicans – including some who served alongside him during Hagel's 12 years in the Senate – remained hostile. Several GOP senators say they want "clarification" of Hagel's views on Israel and Iran. House majority leader Eric Cantor – who has no sway over the nomination – issued a statement that "Hagel is the wrong man for the job at such a pivotal time" and warning that "Hagel's incendiary views of Israel are only the tip of the iceberg." Hagel has also been critical of the use of military force against Iran by the US as well as voicing support for Iran's involvement in peace talks in Afghanistan, and has been unusually forthright for a US politician is discussing what he described as the "Jewish lobby" in the US, describing pro-Israel lobby group Aipac as "powerful". Hagel has previously supported direct talks between the US and leaders of Hamas. When Hagel's nomination was first floated, groups such as the Republican Jewish Coalition were quick to object, citing what it called his "failure to support Israel". "The appointment of Chuck Hagel would be a slap in the face for every American who is concerned about the safety of Israel," it said in a statement. The White House is gearing up for a battle over Hagel's nomination in the Senate. On Monday morning it rolled out a statement in support by Senator Jack Reed, a Democratic member of the Senate armed services committee, saying: "Chuck Hagel will make an outstanding Secretary of Defense. He is highly qualified and his record of service to this country as a decorated combat veteran, successful CEO, senator and statesman is extraordinary." The National Jewish Democratic Council also joined the fray: "While we have expressed concerns in the past, we trust that when confirmed, former Senator Chuck Hagel will follow the President's lead of providing unrivalled support for Israel," it said. Hagel's nomination has also come under attack from Democrats and Republicans unhappy at Hagel's previous support for the now-abandoned "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays and lesbians from serving in the US military, as well as disparaging comments Hagel made about the appointment of an openly gay US ambassador in 1998. Obama also nominated John Brennan to replace disgraced general David Petraeus as head of the CIA. While far less controversial than Hagel's appointment, the nomination has also been criticised because of Brennan's involvement with the Bush administration's backing for harsh interrogation techniques that many have described as torture, although Brennan denies he supported their use. Brennan had been a candidate to lead the agency in Obama's first term but withdrew his name from consideration. In doing so, Brennan told Obama that he was "a strong opponent of many of the policies of the Bush administration, such as the pre-emptive war in Iraq and coercive interrogation tactics, to include waterboarding". If the White House can successfully steer the nomination of both men through Congress then – alongside John Kerry as secretary of state – the trio will form the nucleus of Obama's national security team for the next four years. The civil war in Syria, threats from Iran and North Korea and the final stages of the US involvement in Afghanistan are among the pressing issues that will fill their in-trays, as well as the long-running issues as diverse as Middle Eastern peace, the advance of China and the remaining danger from al-Qaida. The event also saw farewell remarks from Leon Panetta, the current defence secretary, who joked that he was going to spend more time at his walnut farm "dealing with a different set of nuts". Obama ended by calling for a speedy resolution to the nominations, appealing to national security needs: "I hope that the Senate will act on these confirmations promptly. When it comes to national security, we don't like to leave a lot of gaps between the time that one set of leaders transitions out and another transitions in. So we need to get moving quickly on this." Cabinet nominations not tainted by scandal are almost always confirmed by the Senate – although it is a sign of the rancour among Republicans that even a former colleague is forced through a bruising, drawn-out confirmation process
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | James Holmes, accused of killing 12 people in Colorado cinema, was not showing normal emotions, says arresting officer The man accused of shooting dead 12 people inside a Colorado cinema was relaxed but "out of it" in the moments after the massacre, a court has heard . James Holmes, who is alleged to have sprayed the audience of a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises with bullets, wounding 58 people, appeared unmoved as he "stared into space", the police officer who arrested Holmes told the hearing. "It was like there weren't normal emotional responses", officer Jason Oviatt said, according to a report of proceedings by the Denver Post. The testimony came as prosecutors in the US began laying out their case against Holmes, watched by family members of those who were killed. The session, at the Arapahoe county justice centre, will decide if the suspect is sent to trial over the killings. Holmes, 25, is charged with more than 166 separate offences relating to the mass shooting of 20 July in Aurora, including first degree murder. If convicted, and prosecutors decline to pursue a death penalty sentence, he would face a mandatory sentence of life without parole. The Arapahoe court is expected to hear the case against Holmes for the first time. Many of the details of the police investigation into the events surrounding the massacre have been kept out of the public domain until now. In the aftermath of the shooting, district judge William Sylvester issued an order banning lawyers and police from discussing the case with people outside the investigation. Also, many documents have remained secret. Monday's session opened with testimony from police officers who arrested Holmes outside the cinema. They described him as relaxed but fidgety. Oviatt testified that Holmes was "just standing there … not doing anything. Not in any hurry. Not excited. Not urgent about anything," the Denver Post reported. Holmes, still clad in body armour, told police he had booby-trapped his apartment. It took officers hours to disarm explosive devices left at Holmes' address with the help of a controlled robot. After setting the trap at his Aurora apartment, Holmes is alleged to have gone to the cinema and bought a ticket for the late-night screening of The Dark Knight Rises. It is believed that shortly after the film started, he slipped out of a side exit, propping the door open as he left. He then returned heavily armed and wearing body armour. Some audience members thought he was part of a prank. But bewilderment quickly turned to horror after the gunman tossed two gas canisters into the room and began firing, spraying the audience with bullets. Within minutes, a dozen people were dead and many more were left with gunshot wounds. Holmes' lawyers have said their client is mentally ill. During the course of this week's hearings, they are expected to call at least two experts to testify on defendant's mental state. He is known to have been visiting a university psychiatrist, whom he had tried to contact shortly before the shootings. Some legal experts have suggested that the case against Holmes appears so strong that a plea agreement is likely. As such, this week's preliminary hearing is being treated by some as a 'mini-trial'. Family members of his alleged victims and those injured in the massacre were allowed to sit in a separate room away from the media and public.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Actor who received Russian passport on Sunday says if he wanted to leave to avoid tax rises he would have gone earlier Film star Gérard Depardieu has denied that he is leaving his homeland for tax reasons, saying that, although he now has a Russian passport, he is still very much French. In an interview with sports channel L'Equipe 21 – his first since a row broke out in December over his decision to buy a house over the border in Belgium – Depardieu said that if he had wanted to leave to avoid tax rises he would have gone earlier. "I have a Russian passport, but I remain French and I will probably have dual Belgian nationality. But if I'd wanted to escape the taxman, as the French press say, I would have done it a long time ago," he said. Depardieu was speaking in Zurich on the sidelines of a football awards ceremony after receiving a new Russian passport on Sunday from Vladimir Putin. The 64-year-old star of Cyrano de Bergerac and Green Card has been accused by French government leaders of trying to dodge a proposed new tax rate for millionaires. But in a letter last month to the French prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, who labelled the actor "pathetic", Depardieu said he was leaving because success was now being punished in France. The original proposal by the French president, François Hollande, to introduce a 75% rate on income over €1m was struck down by France's constitutional court. While Hollande has said he will press ahead with a tax on the wealthy, it remains unclear whether the redrafted text will be as severe on top earners.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Deal is good news for regulators and the banks who want to put the housing crisis behind them, but it's less so for homeowners Ten US banks announced two huge settlements worth a total of $18.5bn on Monday, in the latest moves to clear up claims relating to the mortgage crisis that foreshadowed the meltdown of the American economy. Bank of America agreed to pay $10bn to Fannie Mae, the national mortgage guarantor, to settle claims that Bank of America sold Fannie Mae bad loans for 10 years, ending in 2008. As part of the agreement, Bank of America will also buy back $6.75bn of bad mortgage loans. All the money will go straight to Fannie Mae, which will then be forced to hand it straight to the US government. The US Treasury, exasperated with continued losses at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, long ago barred either of the mortgage giants from keeping any profits. In another, unrelated settlement 10 banks and financial institutions – including Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo – agreed to settle claims of foreclosure abuses for $8.5bn. About $3.3bn of that is intended to go partly to homeowners who suffered from the abuses in 2009 and 2010, ranging from bad loan modifications to lost or damaged paperwork. That settlement, which Bank of America reached with the Federal Reserve and banking regulator The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, also gives $5.2bn for loan modifications, or friendlier changes in loan terms to help homeowners pay the money back. These settlements are good for banks, who are now able to put part of the mortgage mess behind them, and good for regulators, who can claim a victory. They are less good for homeowners, who often get caught up in red tape when trying to get mortgage help. Bank of America's CEO Brian Moynihan said the agreements were "a significant step" in resolving the institution's issues that related from its purchase of Countrywide in July 2008, just before the financial crisis. Countrywide was one of the biggest mortgage lenders in the US, but was known for approving high-risk loans. Bradley Lerman, Fannie Mae executive vice-president and general counsel, said in a statement: "Fannie Mae has diligently pursued repurchases on loans that did not meet our standards at the time of origination, and we are pleased to have reached an appropriate agreement to collect on these repurchase requests," BoA said it would pay for the Fannie Mae settlement in part from existing reserves. Bank of America also said it would record a $2.7bn hit to its fourth quarter earnings for 2012. Bank of America fell 8¢ to $12.01 Monday, after opening slightly up. The Bank of America settlement represents a good deal for the bank, despite the negative effect on its income on its income, as it closes the door on an estimated $300bn hit from mortgages it sold to Fannie Mae. The settlement is is also an important acknowledgement, in financial terms, that Bank of America is putting the alleged mortgage abuses at Countrywide behind it. For regulators, the deals also come at a good time. US housing regulators are likely to get new leaders soon, and this allows them to start fresh. But the two settlements are less good news for homeowners. The deal between Bank of America and Fannie Mae contains no mechanism by which the money would reach the homeowners who signed bad loans. In the second settlement – between 10 banks, the Federal Reserve and the OCC – homeowners who suffered mortgage abuses should theoretically be able to get $125,000 each. If recent history is any indication, however, it will be hard for them to see much of that money. Advocates say the regulators let the banks off too lightly in the foreclosure deal. "This was supposed to be about compensating homeowners for the harm they suffered," said Diane Thompson, a lawyer with the National Consumer Law Center. The payout guidelines already allowed wronged homeowners less compensation than the losses they suffered, she said. The settlements highlight what Peter Tchir, founder of TF Market Advisors, described as the "black hole" of the mortgage crisis."It's been such an effort to put this past us, at the expense of the underlying economy or people who are hurt directly," said Tchir. Earlier this year, the nation's major banks signed a $25bn mortgage settlement that was designed to help consumers. Part of that money was designed to go to various US states, which were supposed to use the settlement money for housing programs and other relief. Instead, some of the money was diverted. As ProPublica reported: "Of the $2.5bn going to states, just over a billion dollars has been pledged for housing-related programs, while a roughly equal amount has been diverted to plug budget holes or fund programs unrelated to the foreclosure crisis."
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Agency released tickets for Washington event a day early, meaning many who waited for original release date missed out The process for admitting the public into the re-inauguration of President Barack Obama has been thrown into confusion after the agency handling the sale released tickets a day early, angering hopefuls who missed out. Ticketmaster, on behalf of the organising committee, sent an email late on Sunday night to people who had signed up for updates on the inauguration ball, parade and other events, and declared the sale open. Subscribers had previously been told that tickets would not go on sale until Monday morning, angering many who did not see the unexpected message that tickets had been released early. The email on Sunday night, signed by David Cusack, the executive director of the inauguration committee, read: "We urge you to accept your tickets and complete your order via the ticketing website as soon as possible." It seems many took the advice and the inauguration events quickly sold out, leading to expressions of outrage online. After numerous complaints were posted to social networking websites on Sunday, Ticketmaster sent an email shortly after midnight saying that the invitation to purchase tickets had been sent "inadvertently". The second email read: "During testing of our email system tonight, you may have inadvertently received an invitation to purchase tickets for 2013 inauguration events, including the Inaugural Ball or the Inaugural Parade. "Public tickets to these events were originally scheduled to go on sale tomorrow morning – you received the email tonight in error, and Ticketmaster takes responsibility for this mistake. "However, a significant number of public tickets were purchased this evening, despite the early email. Ticketmaster will be in touch with any additional information. "All public tickets are first-come, first-served, including those sold tonight. There is no guarantee that you will be able to purchase a ticket at any time. Thank you for your understanding." The Guardian understands that ticket sales made on Sunday evening will be honoured, and that the sale will not be re-staged. Those logging in on Monday to attempt to buy tickets were met with a message stating that tickets were no longer available. In a statement on Monday, the inauguration committee appeared to acknowledge that the sale would not be re-staged. It said: "A significant number of public tickets to both the Inaugural Ball and the Inaugural Parade were purchased yesterday evening, despite the early email. This is consistent with the Presidential Inaugural Committee's announcement that a limited number of public tickets would be available on a first come, first-served basis." About 2 million people gathered in Washington on Tuesday 20 January 2009 to see Obama sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Given the historic nature of that occasion, a drop in numbers is anticipated for the president's re-inauguration on 21 January: Reuters reported that city officials are anticipating 800,000 attendees. Obama's second inauguration will feature two official balls, rather than the 10 that were held in 2009. One ball is for members of the public – the ball was one of the events that saw tickets released early – and the other is primarily for military families and veterans. The relatively modest celebration is said to be a deliberate decision by Obama and his team at a time when many Americans are struggling financially. The two official balls is the lowest number since Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration in 1953.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A sneak peek of Lena Dunham's show reveals the girls have grown up and, unfortunately for us, they're having less fun If season one of Lena Dunham's HBO series Girls was a celebration of young adulthood, then season two is the hangover. In season two, when we see the girls (and boys, for that matter), we're looking at a group of frustrated people, beaten down by the struggles of their last year. Sure, the characters were aimless and emotional in season one – but their struggles (like Hannah's quest to craft the perfect essay or Marnie's indecision about Charlie) were characterized by the energy and excitement that surrounded them. In season one, Hannah and Marnie deal with their post-college angst by rocking out to Robyn's anthemic Dancing on My Own. In season two, a drunk, lonely Marnie wails away to Sarah McLachlan's Building a Mystery in front of a karaoke machine at the end of a party. If season one's theme was "all adventurous women do", season two's is "all adventurous women just need a fucking drink". Overall, there's a bleak, harsh feeling about the world the girls now live in. Work is even harder to come by – Marnie resorts to getting herself a "pretty-person job" after she's rejected from another art gallery. There's a noticeable absence of Hannah eating cake. There are many fewer scenes of the girls just being girls. No loft parties, no hanging out in bed together chatting, no (or very little) fun. The social interactions that do exist – like Hannah and Elijah's housewarming party, or the coked-out adventure to a club night – serve to underscore pre-existing awkward dynamics (Marnie/Charlie, Hannah/Elijah) or move an already heavy plot line forward. Just like a hangover, the girls of season two appear stuck in a fog, unable to look forward and constantly looking back – to old relationships, to their former selves, trying to figure out what went wrong and where to go from here. There's so much bickering and hurt feelings in the first four episodes of season two that I couldn't help but ask myself: do these people even like each other? And maybe that's the point Dunham's trying to make – that as we get older, we have to go it alone. We have to become self-sufficient, and this quest for independence means our relationship with our peers becomes less integral to who we are. After all, the show is called Girls – not Girlfriends. Tim Goodman at the Hollywood Reporter has an interesting take on the darker world the Girls live in: "It certainly makes sense that the characters would suffer more than they did in season one because even aging just a little bit opens the door to all kinds of bad decisions you weren't prepared for," he writes. "It's how we learn. It's the life lessons that we need when we're not emotionally prepared to believe growth through life experience is important." Goodman may well be right – but as a twentysomething woman myself, I have to wonder if the lives of the other twentysomethings I'm watching would be far less difficult if they were kinder to each other, if they supported each other as they did in season one. I know Dunham wants to portray an honest experience in her show, inspired by her own life and if that's the case then I feel for her. It must have been hard to grow up without loving, generous girlfriends. The final moment of the last episode I saw (episode four) provided me with some relief, when a teary Jessa gets in the tub with Hannah, who cheers her up. Finally, some kindness! Finally, some love! Finally, a scene about friendship, which is – in my view – a large part of what made the show unique in the first place. I haven't seen the whole season, but I just hope the rest of it will have more moments that. The struggle for self-sufficiency in a big city isn't supposed to be easy, but it's a lot more fun when you've got someone who'll make you laugh.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | President's picks to lead Pentagon and CIA face opposition from lawmakers who disapprove of proposed national security team President Barack Obama was finalising his second-term national security team on Monday with the nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary and counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan as head of the CIA – and in the process opens a new front in his bitter fight with Republicans in Congress. After losing a bruising battle to nominate Susan Rice as Hillary Clinton's replacement at the State Department, Obama will name Hagel –
a decorated war hero – as head of the Pentagon, despite vows of resistance from Republicans who accuse the former Nebraska senator of opposing measures to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear capability and of offering less than rock-solid support for Israel. Hagel's nomination has also come under attack from Democrats and Republicans unhappy at Hagel's previous support for the now-abandoned "don't ask, don't tell" policy that barred gays and lesbians from serving in the US military, as well as disparaging comments Hagel made about the appointment of an openly gay US ambassador in 1998. The appointment of Brennan to replace disgraced general David Petraeus as head of the CIA has also been criticised because of Brennan's involvement with the Bush administration's backing for harsh interrogation techniques that many have described as torture, although Brennan denies he supported their use. If the White House can successfully steer the nomination of both men through Congress then – alongside John Kerry as secretary of state –
the trio will form the nucleus of Obama's national security team for the next four years. The civil war in Syria, threats from Iran and North Korea and the final stages of the US involvement in Afghanistan are among the pressing issues that will fill their in-trays, as well as the long-running issues as diverse as Middle Eastern peace, the advance of China and the remaining danger from al-Qaida, any of which could burst into flames. Obama, who was due to make the formal introduction of both nominations at the White House on Monday afternoon, will present Hagel's nomination as a bipartisan overture, citing Hagel's record as a Republican who worked for the election of Ronald Reagan as well as winning office as a Republican senator. Hagel made his fortune in cell phone services before being elected from his home state of Nebraska and serving for 12 years in Congress, until retiring from politics in 2009. Despite Hagel's political allegiance, news of his nomination set off angry counterattacks from Republicans, including from some of those who served alongside him in Congress's Republican caucus. They recall Hagel's often outspoken opposition to Republican national security policies – especially Hagel's blunt rejection of the Bush-era military build-up known as the "surge" in Iraq – which is now regarded by Republicans as the bright spot in American involvement there. Hagel has also been critical of the use of military force against Iran by the US as well as voicing support for Iran's involvement in peace talks in Afghanistan, and has been unusually forthright for a US politician is discussing what he described as the "Jewish lobby" in the US, describing pro-Israel lobby group Aipac as "powerful". Hagel has previously supported direct talks between the US and leaders of Hamas. When Hagel's nomination was first floated, groups such as the Republican Jewish Coalition were quick to object, citing what it called his "failure to support Israel". "The appointment of Chuck Hagel would be a slap in the face for every American who is concerned about the safety of Israel," it said in a statement.
The White House is gearing up for a battle over Hagel's nomination in the Senate. On Monday morning it rolled out a statement in support by Senator Jack Reed, a Democratic member of the Senate armed services committee, saying: "Chuck Hagel will make an outstanding Secretary of Defense. He is highly qualified and his record of service to this country as a decorated combat veteran, successful CEO, senator and statesman is extraordinary."
The National Jewish Democratic Council also joined the fray: "While we have expressed concerns in the past, we trust that when confirmed, former Senator Chuck Hagel will follow the President's lead of providing unrivalled support for Israel," it said. The nomination of Brennan, while less controversial, has also come in for criticism from liberal Democrats unhappy at his previous record at the CIA. Brennan had been a candidate to lead the agency in Obama's first term but withdrew his name from consideration. In doing so, Brennan told Obama that he was "a strong opponent of many of the policies of the Bush administration, such as the pre-emptive war in Iraq and coercive interrogation tactics, to include waterboarding".
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Anger over China's draconian censorship regulation prompted by propaganda authority's interference with newspaper's editorial Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the headquarters of a southern newspaper on Monday in a rare display of public anger over China's draconian censorship regulations. Many held signs calling for greater press freedom and expressing support for the newspaper's editorial employees, some of whom have gone on strike against the provincial propaganda authority's interference with a recent editorial. "I feel the ordinary people must awaken," demonstrator Yuan Fengchu told the Associated Press outside of left-leaning newspaper Southern Weekend's office in Guangzhou. "The people are starting to realise that their rights have been taken away by the Communist party and they are feeling that they are being constantly oppressed." Late last week, employees at Southern Weekend – also known as Southern Weekly – wrote an open letter to the provincial propaganda department demanding the resignation of one of its highest-ranked officials, Tuo Zhen. They accused Tuo of surreptitiously revising the editorial, which urged China's leaders to adopt a constitutional form of governance. "In this era where we see growing open-mindedness, his actions are muddle-headed and careless," said the letter, which was briefly posted to the internet before it was taken down by censors. The public weighed in quickly and forcefully. Prominent intellectuals have rallied behind a strongly worded open letter denouncing top party officials. Widely circulated pictures on microblogs show large groups of young people holding up handwritten anti-censorship messages and grappling with police. Many of the paper's journalists have gone on strike, according to unsubstantiated online accounts. This incident could mark the "first time in more than two decades that the editorial staff of a major newspaper have openly staged a strike against government censorship," reported the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. The newspaper's supporters extend far beyond Guangzhou. Pictures posted online show demonstrators at a pedagogical university in Nanjing holding up handwritten signs that say: "Go Southern Weekend!" One widely circulated photograph shows a woman holding a sign reading: "I may not agree with every word you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." Some demonstrators carried chrysanthemums, a Chinese symbol of lamentation. "In other cities, we've seen people march, but most of the time they are protesting environmental pollution or people's livelihood issues," one protester, Guangzhou-based writer and activist Wu Wei, said. "Here they are asking for political rights, the right to protest. The Southern Weekly incident has provided an opportunity for citizens to voice their desires." How the Communist party's newly appointed top leader, Xi Jinping, manages the backlash could be indicative of his leadership style and attitude towards dissent. Calls for transparency and honest politics have become a definitive mark of Xi's early tenure, and analysts have expressed hope that he will spearhead political reform. Yet, so far, China's censorship apparatus has responded to the controversy with characteristic heavy-handedness. Propaganda authorities have commandeered the newspaper's microblogs and forbidden other media outlets from reporting on the conflict. The terms "Southern Weekend" and "New Year's Greeting" have been blocked on Sina Weibo, the country's most popular microblog with more than 400m users. "No matter whether these people are happy or not, common sense is that it is impossible to have the kind of 'free media' they dream of under China's social and political reality today," said an editorial in the Chinese-language version of the state-run Global Times. The Communist party mouthpiece People's Daily offered a cryptic warning on its Sina Weibo account: "Tonight stars and clouds are changing, temperatures are drastically dropping, with a piercing cold," it said. "People need to be careful wherever they go, and be aware of their feelings." Southern Weekly's original editorial, headlined: China's Dream, the Dream of Constitutionalism, urged China's leaders to adhere to the country's 1982 constitution – a bold proposition in China, given the document's promises of free speech and freedom of assembly. The revised column, with the headline: We are Closer than Ever Before to Our Dreams, was about half the length of the original, brazenly pro-Communist and laden with factual and typographical errors. An open letter signed by 18 prominent Chinese intellectuals castigated Guangdong propaganda officials for spurning the ideals of reform and opening, a 1980s-era ideology which Guangdong – perhaps China's most enlightened province because of its proximity to Hong Kong – holds especially dear. It reiterated Southern Weekly's calls for Tuo Zhen to step down. Authorities' control over the media in Guangdong has ramped up in recent years, according to Zhang Ming, a political science professor at Renmin University in Beijing and one of the letter's signatories. "It has reached the point that they can't even run the newspaper," he said. Two famous Chinese actors – festival darling Li Bingbing and Yao Chen, who has over 31m followers on Sina Weibo – have expressed support for the paper on their microblogs; their posts have been forwarded tens of thousands of times. Celebrity blogger Han Han wrote: "My support today is not only for my favourite newspaper and its respectable editors and journalists, but also for the media and media people who are in even worse situations and receive worse treatment." The post has since been deleted. The controversy may have also exacerbated divisions within the newspaper group, as Communist party-affiliated overseers come to loggerheads with more independent-minded staff. While the newspaper's official Weibo account asserted that Southern Weekend editors had penned the revised New Year's editorial, it didn't take long for staff members' individual Weibo accounts to repudiate the claim. "Southern Weekly statement that its Weibo account was taken away was retweeted 21,372 times in 13 minutes. Then the statement was gone," tweeted Yang Guobin, a professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | US reliance on drones to target terrorists undermines rule of law, is ineffective and has strategic drawbacks, argues Michael Boyle The United States' use of drones is counter-productive, less effective than the White House claims, and is "encouraging a new arms race that will empower current and future rivals and lay the foundations for an international system that is increasingly violent", according to a study by one of President Obama's former security advisers. Michael Boyle, who was on Obama's counter-terrorism group in the run-up to his election in 2008, said the US administration's growing reliance on drone technology was having "adverse strategic effects that have not been properly weighed against the tactical gains associated with killing terrorists". Civilian casualties were likely to be far higher than had been acknowledged, he said. In an article for the Chatham House journal International Affairs, Boyle said the conventional wisdom over the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) needed to be challenged. He said there was an urgent need for greater transparency because most Americans remained "unaware of the scale of the drone programme ... and the destruction it has caused in their name". US use of drones has soared during Obama's time in office, with the White House authorising attacks in at least four countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. It is estimated that the CIA and the US military have undertaken more than 300 drone strikes and killed about 2,500 people. Administration officials have argued their use is lawful, though the Pentagon's most senior lawyer, Jeh Johnson, recently admitted that the US was heading for a "tipping point", beyond which it should no longer pursue terrorists by military means because the organisation that Congress authorised the military to pursue in 2001 had in effect been destroyed. In his study, Boyle said Obama pledged to end the "war on terror" and to restore respect for the rule of law in US counter-terrorism policies. "Instead, he has been just as ruthless and indifferent to the rule of law as his predecessor ... while President Bush issued a call to arms to defend 'civilisation' against the threat of terrorism, President Obama has waged his war on terror in the shadows, using drone strikes, special operations and sophisticated surveillance to fight a brutal covert war against al-Qaida and other Islamist networks." Boyle, who teaches at La Salle University, Philadelphia, said the government claim that drones were an effective tool that minimised civilian casualties was "based on a highly selective and partial reading of the evidence". He argues one of the reasons why the US has been "so successful in spinning the number of civilian casualties" is that it has reportedly adopted a controversial method for counting them: all military-age men in a strike zone are classed as militants unless clear evidence emerges to the contrary. "The result of the 'guilt by association' approach has been a gradual loosening of the standards by which the US selects targets for drone strikes," his study says. "The consequences can be seen in the targeting of mosques or funeral processions that kill non-combatants and tear at the social fabric of the regions where they occur. No one really knows the number of deaths caused by drones in these distant, sometimes ungoverned, lands." Boyle questions the claim that drone strikes have been effective in killing so-called high-value targets, saying records suggested lower-ranked foot soldiers were the ones who had been hit in greatest numbers. And he also said the strikes had a debilitating effect on local populations and their governments. "Despite the fact that drone strikes are often employed against local enemies of the governments in Pakistan and Yemen, they serve as powerful signals of the regimes' helplessness and subservience to the United States and undermine the claim that these governments can be credible competitors for the loyalties of the population," he writes. "The vast increase in the number of deaths of low-ranking operatives has deepened political resistance to the US programme in Pakistan, Yemen and other countries." Last week, a judge in New York rejected an attempt by the New York Times to force the US government to disclose more information about its targeted killing of people that it believes have ties to terrorism, including American citizens. Colleen McMahon, a district judge in Manhattan, said the Obama administration did not violate the law by refusing the newspaper's request for the legal justifications for targeted killings. She said the government was not obliged to turn over materials the Times had sought under the federal Freedom of Information Act, even though it had such materials in its possession.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CEO Brian Moynihan says deal is 'significant step' in resolving legacy mortgage issues as BoA shares edge up in early trading Bank of America is to set aside $10bn to settle mortgage claims resulting from the housing meltdown. Under the deal announced Monday, the bank will pay $3.6bn to Fannie Mae and buy back $6.75bn in loans that BoA and its Countrywide banking unit sold to Fannie Mae from January 1 2000 through December 31 2008. That includes about 30,000 loans. Its shares edged up 14¢ to $12.25 in pre-market trading after the announcement. CEO Brian Moynihan said the agreements were "a significant step" in resolving the bank's remaining legacy mortgage issues while streamlining the company and reducing future expenses. Bank of America bought Countrywide in July 2008, just before the financial crisis. Countrywide was a giant in mortgage lending, but was also known for approving risky loans. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which packaged loans into securities and sold them to investors, were effectively nationalized in 2008 when they nearly collapsed under the weight of their mortgage losses. Bank of America's purchase of Countrywide originally was lauded by lawmakers because the bank was viewed as stepping in to eliminate a bad actor from the mortgage market. But instead of padding Bank of America's mortgage business, the purchase has drawn a drumbeat of regulatory fines, lawsuits and losses. Bank of America said that the loans involved in the settlement have an aggregate original principal balance of about $1.4tn. The outstanding principal balance is about $300bn. "Fannie Mae has diligently pursued repurchases on loans that did not meet our standards at the time of origination, and we are pleased to have reached an appropriate agreement to collect on these repurchase requests," Bradley Lerman, Fannie Mae executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. Bank of America also said that it is also selling mortgage servicing rights on about 2 million residential mortgage loans. The loans have an aggregate unpaid principal balance of approximately $306bn. The transferring of the servicing rights is expected to take place throughout the year. In addition, the bank will pay $1.3bn to Fannie Mae to settle loan servicing compensatory fee obligations. Bank of America said its fourth-quarter will include various items related to the settlement and other matters, but that it expects "modestly positive" earnings for the period.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hamid Karzai will push Barack Obama for military aid amid uncertainty over long-term US presence in Afghanistan The Afghan president is on his way to Washington for what is likely to be a tense visit, with the two uneasy allies set to discuss details of a long-term US military presence in the central Asian nation. Hamid Karzai, who will meet Barack Obama, wants Washington to stump up for planes, helicopters, heavy weapons and other advanced military equipment for Afghanistan's still-shaky armed forces. He also wants more aid money to be channelled through ministries rather than spent by western aid agencies. The US president is weighing up how many of its troops should remain in Afghanistan when the Nato-led combat mission there ends in 2014. But any plan needs Afghan approval, and hanging over the discussions is the question of immunity for US soldiers. Iraq's refusal to agree to this condition in effect ended the US presence there, and there are fears it could be a major obstacle to a long-term US presence in Afghanistan. Karzai, who has criticised Nato and US measures he believes violate national security, admitted this could be a stumbling block in talks. Karzai may be banking in part on western fears that if cash and other support for the government and security forces are cut, and Afghanistan slips back into civil war or the Taliban gain ground, it could once again become a haven for al-Qaida or similar groups. "The world needs us more than we need them," Abdul Karim Khurram, Karzai's chief of staff, told the Washington Post shortly before the visit. But diplomats in Kabul warn that Karzai may have underestimated US fatigue with the war, and anger over its cost, at a time when the national economy is struggling. Rampant, large-scale corruption in Afghanistan also makes it harder to justify aid spending to voters tightening their belts at home. Karzai's government in turn has accused the west of fuelling corruption and waste in the way it spends money in Afghanistan. The finance minister, Omar Zakhilwal, is pushing for more money to be put straight through the government budget to be spent by ministries like education and health, rather than channelled through foreign aid organisations. "We believe that the way the US money is spent here, there's a lot of waste, particularly money spent through contractors and outside sources," Zakhilwal told the Wall Street Journal before the visit. Much of the aid cash flowed back to the US through "big consultant salaries and overheads", he added. Karzai has other grievances which are likely to add to challenges at the talks. Among the complaints are that the US military is still holding Afghan prisoners in Afghanistan, despite a deal last year to hand over the US jail and the men inside it. "The war has been fought in a very incorrect manner ... It didn't improve the situation, it worsened it," Khurram said.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Former PM announces his party's support for Northern League, raising fears election will yield no outright winner The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has renewed an alliance with his erstwhile coalition partners in the Northern League, raising the chances that next month's election will yield no outright winner and yet more political instability. In a move unlikely to reassure the markets, the 76-year-old media magnate said that if the rightwing coalition were to win he would be happy with the role of finance minister. Given Berlusconi's latest poll ratings, such an outcome is unlikely. "The premier will be decided if we win," he told Italian radio, explaining that he would stand in the election as the coalition's "leader of moderates" and that his People of Freedom (PdL) party would support Roberto Maroni, de-facto head of the regionalist League, as governor of the Lombardy region around Milan, one of the country's chief battlegrounds. The League, which campaigns for tighter restrictions on immigration and greater fiscal autonomy for northern Italy, had been holding out against an alliance with Berlusconi, insisting it would only lend him its support if he vowed not to use it to run for a fourth term as prime minister. Reflecting the drawn-out negotiations which have led to the deal, Berlusconi unveiled the deal by declaring "Habemus papam" – a term usually reserved for the announcement of a new pope. He had signed an agreement with Maroni in the early hours of Monday morning, he said. According to an opinion poll published on Sunday in the Corriere della Sera, the united forces of Berlusconi's PdL and the League are on course to win only 26-28% of the vote, despite the billionaire politician's repeated declaration that he will again exceed 40%. The centrist coalition led by the technocrat prime minister Mario Monti stands to win around 14-15% of the vote, according to the poll, with the comedian Beppe Grillo's Five Star Movement on 13-14%. A centre-left bloc led by the Partito Democratico (PD) is far ahead on 38-39% but Berlusconi's announcement threatens the possibility of an outright victory for the party and its leader, Pier Luigi Bersani. While they look set to dominate in the lower house of parliament they could now be blocked in the Senate by the rightwing coalition. That prospect could well see the PD seek the services of Monti to form a governing coalition, a scenario that would please the markets and other EU leaders, many of whom want the former European commissioner to stay at the helm of Italy as it continues to battle the eurozone crisis and recession. Since declaring his intention to take part in the election in order to keep Italy on the road to fiscal discipline and economic recovery, Monti, 69, has abandoned much of his studiously apolitical image. He has engaged in multiple television and radio interviews and even a live Twitter Q&A session in which – to the dismay of some supporters – he used smiley emoticons and the thoroughly unprofessorial exclamation "wow!" He has also sharpened his criticism of Berlusconi, describing him as politically and personally volatile and drawing attention to the former prime minister's often contradictory statements. But Berlusconi, whose party supported the technocratic government until November, has returned the criticism, calling Monti a "minor leader" and questioning his credibility. On Monday he reiterated his criticism, telling Italian radio: "The technocrats have done the country damage. After a year of government there is not one positive economic indicator." The election is scheduled for 24 and 25 February.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Reason for visit by Schmidt and former governor Bill Richardson is unclear but may include effort to secure release of US citizen Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson and Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, have begun a controversial private mission to North Korea that may include an effort to secure the release of an imprisoned American, according to reports. The trip comes after North Korea carried out a long-range rocket test last month and as the reclusive state continues work on its nuclear testing facilities, according to satellite imagery, potentially paving the way for a third nuclear bomb test. South Korean broadcaster MBC said the delegation comprising Schmidt and his daughter, Richardson and Google executive Jared Cohen were due to travel to Pyongyang from Beijing on North Korean state airline Air Koryo. North Korea's KCNA state news agency later said they had arrived. It gave no details. The mission has been criticised by the White House due to the sensitivity of the timing. The US does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea and the isolated and impoverished state remains technically at war with South Korea. South Korea is in the midst of a transition to a new president, who will take office in February, while Japan, another major US ally in the region, has a new prime minister. A US official said the trip's timing was particularly bad from the Obama administration's point of view because it comes as the UN security council ponders how to respond to North Korea's 12 December missile launch. "We are in kind of a classical provocation period with North Korea. Usually, their missile launches are followed by nuclear tests," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "During these periods, it's very important that the international community come together, certainly at the level of the UN security council, to demonstrate to North Korea that they pay a price for not living up to their obligations," the official add Richardson, a former ambassador to the United Nations, has made numerous trips to North Korea. The purpose of the trip and the reasons for Schmidt's involvement are not clear, though Google characterised it as "personal" travel. Schmidt did not respond to requests for comment. Many observers expect Richardson to seek the release of Kenneth Bae, a Korean-American tour guide who was detained last year. Richardson told CBS television on Friday he had been contacted by Bae's family and that he would raise the issue while in North Korea. North Korea has used the detention of American citizens to secure high-profile visits from US officials in the past. Its most notable success was a visit from former president Bill Clinton in 2009 to secure the release of two American journalists. Last year, Jared and Schmidt met defectors from North Korea, a state that ranks bottom of Reporters Without Borders's annual survey of internet and press freedom. Media reports and thinktanks say officials from the North Korean government went to Google's headquarters in 2011, about which the US technology giant has not commented.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | President braces for tough confirmation fight, with Republicans criticising Hagel for being anti-Israel and soft on Iran President Barack Obama is to nominate Chuck Hagel as his next defence secretary and counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the CIA, two potentially controversial picks for his second-term national security team. Hagel, even before being nominated, has faced tough criticism from congressional Republicans who say the former Republican senator is anti-Israel and soft on Iran, while Brennan, a 25-year CIA veteran, withdrew from consideration for the spy agency's top job in 2008 amid questions about his connection to enhanced interrogation techniques during the George W Bush administration. Administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say Obama will announce both nominations at a White House event on Monday afternoon. Along with secretary of state nominee John Kerry, Hagel and Brennan would play key roles implementing and shaping Obama's national security priorities in a second term. All three men must be confirmed by the Senate. In nominating Hagel, Obama signalled he was willing to take on a tough confirmation fight. Once Hagel emerged as Obama's likely nominee, Republican lawmakers began sharply questioning his commitment to Israel and his willingness to take a hard line on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme. Hagel, a 66-year-old moderate Nebraska Republican, has criticised discussion of a military strike by either the US or Israel against Iran. He also irritated some Israel backers with his reference to the "Jewish lobby" in the US. And he has backed efforts to bring Iran to the table for future peace talks in Afghanistan. White House officials say Hagel's positions on Israel and Iran have been misrepresented. They cite his Senate votes for billions in military assistance to Israel and his support for multilateral sanctions on Tehran. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said Hagel would be "completely in line with the president" on both issues. "The president has a record of unprecedented security co-operation with Israel and that's going to continue no matter who the defence secretary is," Rhodes said. Hagel has also been criticised by Democrats for saying in 1998 that a nominee for an ambassador post was "openly, aggressively gay". He has since apologised for those comments. Hagel is the second straight Obama favourite for a top national security post to face criticism from Capitol Hill even before being nominated. The ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, withdrew her name from consideration for secretary of state amid charges from Republican senators that she misled the public in her initial accounting of the attacks on Americans at a diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. Obama returned to the White House on Sunday after a truncated family holiday in Hawaii. His week will include a visit from the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. And he faces a bruising fight with Congress over spending and the federal deficit, just days after Obama and Congress averted the fiscal cliff with a last-minute deal over the New Year holiday. Both Hagel and Brennan have close relationships with Obama, who values loyalty in his inner circle. Brennan, as the president's top counter-terrorism adviser, was deeply involved in the planning of the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. And he has led administration efforts to quell the growth of terrorist organisations in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. With 25 years' service at the CIA, Brennan, 57, was station chief in Saudi Arabia and held a variety of posts, including deputy executive director, during the Bush administration. His tenure at the agency during Bush's presidency drew criticism from liberals when Obama considered naming him CIA director after the 2008 election. Brennan denied being involved in the Bush administration's enhanced interrogation techniques, but still withdrew his name from consideration. In a letter to Obama at the time, Brennan said he was "a strong opponent of many of the policies of the Bush administration, such as the pre-emptive war in Iraq and coercive interrogation tactics, to include waterboarding". White House officials say they don't expect Brennan to face similar trouble this time around given his four years of service in the Obama administration. "The issue has been removed from the debate because the president and John Brennan, as his top counter-terrorism adviser, brought those techniques to an end," Rhodes said. However, Brennan's nomination will likely shine a spotlight on the administration's controversial drone programme. Brennan was the first Obama administration official to publicly acknowledge the highly secretive targeted killing operations. Brennan has defended the legality of drone operations and has said they protect American lives and prevent potential terror attacks. If confirmed, Brennan will succeed David Petraeus, who resigned in November after admitting to an affair with his biographer. The deputy CIA director, Michael Morell, has been serving as the agency's acting director since Petraeus resigned and was considered by Obama for the top job. Rhodes said Morell will attend Monday's White House event and is expected to stay at the CIA. Hagel would replace retiring Pentagon chief Leon Panetta at a time when the defence department is facing potentially deep budget cuts. Hagel would also be tasked with overseeing the military drawdown in Afghanistan, where the US-led campaign is scheduled to end in two years' time. Hagel is likely to support a more rapid withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan than some military generals. Mitch McConnell, the top Senate Republican, said on Sunday he was reserving judgment on whether to support Hagel but predicted the former senator would face serious questions. Any nominee must have "a full understanding of our close relationship with our Israeli allies, the Iranian threat and the importance of having a robust military", McConnell said on ABC's This Week. The second-ranking Senate Republican, John Cornyn of Texas, said in a statement that making Hagel defence secretary would be "the worst possible message we could send to our friend Israel and the rest of our allies in the Middle East". Despite the criticism, no Republican lawmakers have threatened to try to block Hagel's nomination. Monday's nominations leave Obama without a woman in line for a top administration post, a fact that has irked some Democratic women. The president will soon name a new treasury secretary, but current White House chief of staff Jack Lew is the frontrunner for the post.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Five men accused of rape and murder of 23-year-old woman hear charges against them amid rowdy courtroom scenes Five Indian men accused of the gang-rape and murder of a 23-year old woman have appeared before a magistrate to hear charges against them. But rowdy scenes in the packed courtroom delayed hearings for much of the day and raised concerns over the capacity of India's creaking judicial system to deal with such a sensitive and high-profile case. The five men, along with a teenager, are accused of raping a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in New Delhi. She died two weeks later on 28 December in a Singapore hospital from her injuries. The case provoked outrage in India and around the world with protests still continuing on Monday. Local authorities have proposed a range of measures aiming to make the country safer for women ranging from more CCTV cameras to gender sensitisation lessons for schoolchildren. But another alleged gang rape and murder over the weekend in Noida, a satellite city east of Delhi, has led to new protests and further accusations that the police do not take such offences seriously. Monday's court hearing took place amid chaos and confusion after police failed to restrict access to the courtroom and rows broke out between local lawyers over whether or not the men should be defended. A blue police van brought the five defendants from Delhi's high security Tihar jail in the morning, but after long delays, the magistrate, Namrita Aggarwal, ordered police to clear the room and ordered that the hearing be held behind closed doors. Media organisations are seeking to reverse the order amid confusion over whether it would apply to the entire trial. The case is being heard by a newly created "fast-track court", set up to allow speedy justice. Legal proceedings in India often involve years, even decades, of delay. A teenager who is also accused is expected be tried separately in a juvenile court. There is growing support in India for legal changes to allow the suspect, believed to be 17 years old, to face a harsher sentence than the maximum of three years' imprisonment he could currently expect if convicted. But there was confusion over the youth's exact age with judges at the juvenile court asking for further evidence at a pre-trial hearing on Monday. Two of the defendants are reported to have said they are willing to testify against the other men, but police have rejected the request, according to local media. Legal experts have already raised concerns about the standards observed in the trial. Although they have been held for more than three weeks and repeatedly interrogated by police, the defendants still do not have defence lawyers, who will be assigned by the court before the trial begins in around a week. Members of the bar association in the South Delhi district where the case is being heard vowed not to represent them and physically fought with lawyers proposing their services in the court room. But experts warn that a lack of representation for the accused so far could give grounds for appeal later should they be found guilty. Similar cases have resulted in acquittals years after convictions. "The accused has a right to a lawyer from point of arrest – the investigations are going on, statements being taken, it is totally illegal," said Colin Gonsalves, a senior supreme court advocate and director of Delhi's Human Rights Law Network. A government panel is considering suggestions to make the death penalty mandatory for rape and introducing forms of chemical castration for the guilty. It is due to make its recommendations by 23 January. Official data shows one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes in India. India set up 1,700 fast-track courts in 2004 but stopped funding them in 2012 because they turned out to be costly. The courts typically work six days a week and try to reduce adjournments that lead to long delays in cases. "The record of the fast-track courts is mixed," Gonsalves said. Conviction rates rose, he said, but due process was sometimes rushed, leading to convictions being overturned.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rookie quarterback sensations Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck departed the NFL playoffs; Seattle's Russell Wilson victorious; another game for Ravens' Ray Lewis; Aaron Rodgers and Packers hit form The Redskins should care more about RG3's healthWhat will Dr James Andrews have to say about this one? On Saturday the orthopaedic surgeon told USA Today that he had never given his blessing for Robert Griffin III to return to the field after the quarterback injured his knee during Washington's week 14 win over Baltimore. RG3 took just one play off before returning to the field, only to come back out again shortly afterwards – apparently in significant pain. The Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan subsequently told reporters that Andrews had approved RG3's return, a claim which the surgeon denies. "[Griffin] didn't even let us look at him," Andrews told USA Today. "He came off the field, walked through the sidelines, circled back through the players and took off back to the field. It wasn't our opinion. We didn't even get to touch him or talk to him. Scared the hell out of me." Who knows why it took Andrews so long to air his side of the story, but it would be fascinating to hear his take on events this Sunday. Already by the time RG3 had helped his team to a 14-0 lead, it was clear that the quarterback was playing in some discomfort. He limped heavily as he left the field after connecting with Logan Paulsen for the team's second score, and from there his play swiftly deteriorated. He had completed six of his first nine passes for 68 yards and two touchdowns to that point. Thereafter, he would hit just four of 10 for 16 yards, as well as being intercepted once. And yet he remained in the game until late in the fourth quarter, when he appeared to aggravate the injury. On so many levels, the decision to keep him in the game seemed like a wrong-headed one. Not only was Shanahan putting his franchise player's long-term health at risk, but his team were not even deriving any real benefit from doing so. Second-string quarterback Kirk Cousins had already shown himself to be a more than capable back-up – throwing the game-tying touchdown against Baltimore before steering his team to a comfortable road win in Cleveland a week later. The second coming of Joe Theismann he might not be, but better than a hobbled RG3 he almost certainly was. Instead, by the time Cousins was finally thrown into the fray, the game was already up. RG3 had fumbled on his final play, setting Seattle up for a short field goal that gave them a 10-point lead with just over five minutes remaining. Cousins could not come up with the requisite miracle, and Seattle prevailed, 24-14. Afterwards, Shanahan both disputed Andrews's version of events from that Baltimore game, and defended his decision to keep RG3 in this one. "Robert said to me, 'Coach, there's a difference between injured and being hurt. I can guarantee I'm hurting right now, give me a chance to win this football game because I guarantee I'm not injured.' That was enough for me." Many others will argue that a coach should know when to take greater responsibility. Of course only Griffin knows how much pain he was truly in, but he would certainly not be the first to play down the extent of an injury to prevent a coach from pulling them out of a game. The Seahawks move on to face the Falcons at the Georgia Dome. They certainly did their part, recovering from a slow start to put things right on both sides of the ball. But the greatest talking point coming out of this game will not be their performance, but instead that of the Washington coaching staff. No52's NFL career is not over yetRay Lewis has played his last-ever game in Baltimore. But not his last-ever game in the NFL. Having begun the afternoon with one last pre-game shimmy at M&T Bank Stadium, he finished it with a rare cameo in the Ravens' victory formation – lined up behind the quarterback on the kneel-down play that sealed a 24-9 win. This was Lewis's first game since tearing his triceps in week six, and also the first all season in which Baltimore had been able to start him alongside Terrell Suggs on defense. Together they did their part for a defense that was resolute, rather than dominant. The Colts amassed 419 yards of total offense but never got into the end zone. Four times they had to settle for short field goals, and Adam Vinatieri missed the last of those wide to the right. Perhaps things would have been different with Bruce Arians present. For most of this season the Colts' offensive co-ordinator was called on to serve as the team's interim head coach, while Chuck Pagano underwent treatment for leukemia. But after Pagano returned to the sideline last weekend, Arians himself was absent from it this Sunday – having been hospitalised on the morning of the game. Details on the coach's condition are sketchy, though a Colts spokesman said that Arians was "doing fine". On Saturday, the Indianapolis Star had published an open letter from Pagano to the city, in which he thanked everyone who had supported him through his illness: "On behalf of the Pagano family, thank you for helping me heal and for showing our country that we do have the best fans in the entire world. Fans whose love for their coaches and players extends way beyond the football field."
Notwithstanding Sunday's defeat, this has been a successful season for the Colts – who, with a rookie quarterback under center - won nine more games than they had a season previously. Andrew Luck has shown more than enough to suggest he can be a special quarterback for years to come. But the Ravens, and Lewis, have unfinished business after last year's gut-wrenching AFC Championship game defeat to New England. To return to that stage they would have to beat the Broncos in Denver next week. It would help if Ray Rice does not cough up another two fumbles. And also if Anquan Boldin can put on another performance like he did in the second-half here. His 145 yards receiving - all of which came in the final two quarters - represented a franchise record for a postseason game. Dalton's struggles leave Cincinnati with more questions than answersOn paper, the Bengals ought to be feeling pretty great about Andy Dalton. In his two years in the league so far, the quarterback has led his team to back-to-back playoffs berths – something Cincinnati had not previously managed for three decades. He has completed more than 60% of his passes and thrown for 47 touchdowns against 29 interceptions. And yet, the jury remains out after Dalton's Bengals fell to Houston on wildcard weekend for the second year running. The quarterback completed just 14 of his 30 attempts for 127 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. En route to a 19-13 defeat, Dalton was guilty of both overthrowing open receivers and repeatedly locking onto his primary target even when they were well covered. He was hardly the sole author of Cincinnati's demise – with a number of receivers, and notably the tight end Jermaine Gresham, dropping catchable balls. Gresham was supposed to be a key component of the offensive gameplan, with Bengals coaches believing he could use his size to create mismatches against the Houston secondary. But Gresham caught just two of the five passes that he got his hands to, gaining a total of seven yards in the process. Worse yet, the focus on getting him the ball meant that not one pass was thrown in the direction of the team's top playmaker, AJ Green, through the entire first half. For that, the coaching staff must also be held responsible. Houston deserve credit too, looking much sharper in coverage than they had in recent weeks. But the Bengals' struggles also need to be placed in context. Over the last three games, Cincinnati have managed just a single offensive touchdown. That is one fewer than their cornerback Leon Hall. For the Bengals, a long offseason of introspection beckons. Houston can look forward to a rematch against the New England team who humiliated them 42-14 just four short weeks ago. The Texans got back to doing what they do best on Saturday – running the ball and playing stout defense, but the fact that Cincinnati still had a shot to win this game deep in the fourth quarter despite being outgained by 420 yards to 198 is a cause for concern. Houston's quarterback, Matt Schaub, has thrown three interceptions and no touchdowns over the last three weeks. They, too, have questions to be answered. But at least Houston will get the chance to address some of them next week. The Packers are getting healthy at the right timeIt was easy to poke fun at Joe Webb on Saturday night. As the Vikings' second-string quarterback – thrust into the starting line-up 90 minutes before kickoff – heaved yet another desperate, wobbling pass away in the direction of no one in particular, the folly of pre-game suggestions that he could represent an upgrade over Christian Ponder quickly became apparent. But if Webb played like exactly what he was – a backup quarterback who had not thrown a pass all season – then it would be naïve to assume that the outcome would have been totally different with Ponder under center. Although he had played well a week previously at the Metrodome, the conditions at a frosty and hostile Lambeau Field were hardly comparable to those in the Vikings' climate-controlled home stadium. More importantly, these were not the same Packers who had lost to Minnesota in week 17. On offense, Green Bay had all of their top four wide receivers in the line-up for the first time since September. On defense, the eight-time Pro Bowl safety Charles Woodson made his first start since October. It was Woodson who derailed the Vikings' promising first drive, cutting down Adrian Peterson for a two-yard loss on second-and-five at the Green Bay 13. On the next play Webb recorded the first of his 19 incomplete passes, and the Vikings had to settle for three points instead of a potential seven. Woodson would finish with six tackles – tied for second on the team. His impact was felt on many more plays besides, and for as much as Webb was struggling, the quality of Green Bay's coverage downfield was notably improved from a week previously. That is not just down to Woodson, of course, but after a season in which other starters such as linebacker Clay Matthews and cornerback Sam Shields have also missed time through injury, the benefit of having everyone healthy was very apparent. The same goes for the offense – Rodgers connecting with a playoff record 10 different receivers on Sunday. A unit that was hardly shabby before will only be harder to contain with all of Greg Jennings, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson lining up together. Green Bay face a long road trip to San Francisco next week, to take on a 49ers team who beat them at Lambeau Field back in week one. Jim Harbaugh's team, just like Minnesota, have changed their quarterback in the interim. But that is about where the similarities end. Quick Hits• First up, here's the full schedule for the divisional playoff round. You'll note we have the exact same four teams in the AFC as at the corresponding stage last year – albeit this time in a slightly different configuration. Ravens @ Broncos – Saturday 4.30pm ET/9.30pm GMT
Packers @ 49ers – Saturday 8pm ET/Sunday 1am GMT
Seahawks @ Falcons – Sunday 1pm ET/6pm GMT
Texans @ Patriots – Sunday 4.30pm ET/9.30pm GMT
• NFL coaching carousel update. The Buffalo Bills have reportedly hired Syracuse's Doug Marrone to replace Chan Gailey. And the former Eagles head coach Andy Reid wasted no time in taking the Kansas City job. • Post-game handbags dept: Richard Sherman and Trent Williams get into it after the Seahawks' win over the Redskins. • Players having fun with their video ident dept: Idaho State alum Jared Allen cites the Culinary Academy as his alma mater.
• TV high-jinks go wrong dept: a Minnesota TV reporter gets flattened by a member of her crew during a piece to camera before the Packers-Vikings game.
We will have liveblog coverage of all next weekend's NFL playoffs plus Monday's BCS Championship game: Notre Dame vs Alabama.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 'Re-education through labour' allows police to jail criminals without using courts and has targeted activists, claim critics China is to reform its controversial system of forced labour camps this year, state media has reported, which would mark a first step toward legal reform promised by new Communist party chief Xi Jinping. China's "re-education through labour" system, in place since 1957, empowers police to sentence petty criminals to up to four years' confinement without going through the courts, a system critics say undermines the rule of law and is used against political activists. The announcement by state news agency Xinhua contradicted earlier media reports that cited domestic security head Meng Jianzhu as saying China would scrap the system. Those reports were removed from media websites without an explanation. "The Chinese government will this year push the reform of its controversial re-education through labour system, according to a national political and legal work conference on Monday," Xinhua reported. State broadcaster CCTV had said earlier on its microblog site, citing the party's newly appointed head of its political and legal affairs committee, Meng, as saying: "Use of the re-education through labour system will end this year, after approval from the standing committee of the National People's Congress." The National People's Congress refers to China's largely rubberstamp parliament session held annually in March. The justice ministry did not respond to a faxed inquiry by Reuters. The labour camp system has come under fire from intellectuals, rights lawyers and activists, and even state media. "If it can be abolished this year, I think it's an extremely important step toward rule of law," He Weifang, a law professor at Peking University, told Reuters. China has 350 labour camps throughout the country, housing about 160,000 inmates, according to Xinhua. Nicholas Bequelin, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group, said there had been a precedent for a new leadership to take a symbolic step of reforming problematic systems. "It has been my sense that Xi Jinping means business and that there would be a departure from the caretaking years of Hu and Wen," he said, referring to outgoing president Hu Jintao and outgoing premier Wen Jiabao. But Bequelin cautioned that reform, rather than the outright abolishment of the system, may only mean procedural improvements such as "a somewhat milder form of administrative detention". He said a system could be introduced with some procedural protection, such as a hearing and the ability of a defendant to get legal counsel. State media have taken up the case of people it believes have suffered miscarriages of justice under the system such as Ren Jianyu, a village official sentenced to a labour camp after he criticised the government. Media also rallied to the defence of Tang Hui, a woman sent to a labour camp in August for demanding that the men who had raped her daughter be given harsher punishment. She was later released. Whether China reforms the system hinges on the power of security agencies, which are responsible for reining in social unrest that threatens the party's efforts to maintain stability. Meng, also public security minister, took over as head of the body that oversees law-and-order policy after November's party congress from Zhou Yongkang, who critics say had accumulated too much power.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Political fever is heating up in Italy as Silvio Berlusconi agrees an alliance that throws next month's general election wide open
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Human rights groups fear suspected militants killed during raids were victims of 'extrajudicial killings' and call for investigation into police tactics Indonesia's US-funded police anti-terror squad has killed seven suspected militants recently, reviving allegations that the force is not trying to take suspects alive – a trend that appears to be fuelling the very extremism the predominantly Muslim country is trying to counter. Police spokesman Brigadier General Boy Rafli Amar said on Sunday that no shots were fired against officers during three raids on Friday and Saturday in eastern Indonesia, but that the suspects in at least one of the locations had explosives "ready" to be detonated. He said officers from the anti-terror squad, known as Densus 88, had followed procedures because the suspects were endangering their lives, but gave few details. Haris Azhar, chairman of independent human rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, said it appeared the suspected militants were victims of "extrajudicial killings" and called for an independent investigation. He said Densus 88's tactics were driving militancy because they added to feelings among some Muslims that they were under siege. "I'm worried about the deteriorating public sympathy for police who continue to use violence," he said, alleging that some suspects in the past have been shot in front of their children. "There has never been any evaluation of Densus's actions. It seems the police brutality has contributed to the growing of terrorism." Indonesia has struggled against militants seeking a Muslim state since its independence from Dutch colonial rule in 1945. In the 1990s and early 2000s, some of the militants came under the influence of al-Qaida while waging jihad in Afghanistan. On their return to Indonesia, they carried out four major bombings against foreign targets between 2002 and 2009. Densus 88 was established after the first of those attacks – the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists – with US and Australian financial and technical assistance, which it still receives. It has been instrumental in the arrests of hundreds of militants over the last 10 years and is credited with reducing the threat of further attacks on western interests in the country. Small groups of militants, however, have continued to attack police officers and Christians. Since the squad's establishment, Densus officers have killed more than 70 suspects. Like in other countries, some Indonesian militants have blown themselves up when police officers have approached them and show a willingness to go down fighting, making apprehending them especially dangerous. Police figures show that militants killed 10 officers in 2012 around the country. "They are different to conventional criminals," Amar said. "We can't take any risks because they will show no hesitation to kill law enforcers." Taufik Andrie, research director for the Institute for International Peace Building, said it appeared that police officers hunting down militants suspected of being involved in the murder of their colleagues were not interested in taking prisoners. "It is a cycle of violence, with each side looking for revenge," Andrie said. "There is a suspicion that some policemen are of the mind that the best kind of de-radicalisation is through killing people." Indonesia has won praise for arresting and convicting terrorists through its legal system. It executed three militants convicted in the Bali bombings and sentenced many others to long prison sentences. But there has been a high level of recidivism, and the country's counter-extremism and de-radicalisation programmess have been patchily carried out with limited success. The way in which the killings by Densus 88 are used to rally support for extremism was on display Sunday at a public meeting of radicals in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. While those present didn't need fresh reasons to despise or distrust the state, speakers held up the killings of the seven suspects as just the latest example of police brutality. "Oh, Allah, they have killed your servants, so destroy them," said Son Hadi, from Jama'ah Ansharut Tauhid, a radical group whose members have been accused of supporting terrorism but remain free to organise. "Beware of this war on Islam."
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Five men accused of gang rape that killed woman to appear in court for the first time ahead of fast-track trial The five men accused of a brutal gang-rape that killed an Indian woman are due to appear in a New Delhi court, with two of them offering evidence possibly in return for a lighter sentence in the case that has led to a global outcry. The five men, along with a teenager, are accused of raping the 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in New Delhi. She died two weeks later on 28 December in a Singapore hospital from her injuries. Television images on Monday morning showed the blue police van believed to be transporting the suspects from Tihar jail as it arrived at the court gate prior to the hearing. Two of the accused, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta, moved an application on Saturday requesting they be made "approvers", or informers against the other accused, a public prosecutor in the case, Rajiv Mohan, told the Reuters news agency. The men are appearing before a newly formed fast-track court and their trial is expected to take place over the next few weeks. A teenager who is also accused will likely be tried in a juvenile court. The brutal case ignited protests across India and neighbouring countries, and prompted government promises for tougher punishments for offenders.
Ahead of Monday's court appearance, the five still had no defence lawyers – despite extensive interrogations by the police, who have said they have recorded confessions – after members of the bar association in the South Delhi district where the case is being heard vowed not to represent them. The men will be assigned lawyers by the court before the trial begins but their lack of representation so far could give grounds for appeal later should they be found guilty, experts say. Similar cases have resulted in acquittals years after convictions. "The accused has a right to a lawyer from point of arrest – the investigations are going on, statements being taken, it is totally illegal," said Colin Gonsalves, a senior supreme court advocate and director of Delhi's Human Rights Law Network. Senior leaders of most states on Friday came out in support of a plan to lower to 16 the age that minors can be tried as adults – in response to fury that the maximum penalty the accused youth could face is three years' detention.
A government panel is considering suggestions to make the death penalty mandatory for rape and introducing forms of chemical castration for the guilty. It is due to make its recommendations by 23 January. Official data shows one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes in India. India set up 1,700 fast-track courts in 2004 but stopped funding them in 2012 because they turned out to be costly. The courts typically work six days a week and try to reduce adjournments that lead to long delays in cases. "The record of the fast-track courts is mixed," Gonsalves said. Conviction rates rose, he said, but due process was sometimes rushed, leading to convictions being overturned.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rebels say Syrian president offered no meaningful concessions in his first public speech in seven months Syria's opposition and its international backers have rejected Bashar al-Assad's latest initiative to end the 21 months of violence, insisting that he offered no meaningful concessions and should surrender power at once. Hopes of a breakthrough were dashed after an hour-long speech in Damascus in which the Syrian president called for "a war to defend the nation" against "terrorist" violence and urged foreign countries to stop supporting his enemies – while offering a national dialogue and a constitutional referendum. He proposed what he called a "comprehensive plan" that included an "expanded government". But there was no sign that he was prepared to step down as the first stage of a political transition – a demand of all opposition groups. "I will go one day, but the country remains," he said. Assad referred repeatedly to "plots" against his country and the role of al-Qaida, long portrayed as the leading element in what began as a popular uprising in March 2011. Syria was not facing a revolution but a "gang of criminals" and "western puppets", he said. "We are now in a state of war in every sense of the word," the president told cheering supporters. "This war targets Syria using a handful of Syrians and many foreigners. Thus, this is a war to defend the nation." The speech from the stage of the Damascus Opera House in the heart of the capital was punctuated by thunderous applause and loyalist chants from what was certainly a carefully selected audience. The city was described as being under a security lockdown before the event. Internet services were disconnected. But it was hard to see how the president's public speech – the first in seven months – offered even a faint glimmer of a way out of the bloody impasse between the regime and rebels in a conflict which the UN said last week had claimed 60,000 lives. The opposition Syrian National Coalition said the closely watched address marked an end to diplomatic efforts led by the UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi. "The appropriate response is to continue to resist this unacceptable regime and for the Free Syrian Army to continue its work in liberating Syria until every inch of land is free," said George Sabra, its deputy president. "It was a waste of time. He said nothing constructive," a spokesman, Louay Safi, told al-Jazeera TV. "It was empty rhetoric." Walid al-Bunni, a veteran activist, said: "The genuine opposition inside and outside Syria won't accept the initiative." Assad's speech was "beyond hypocritical", Britain's foreign secretary, William Hague, commented on Twitter. "Deaths, violence and oppression engulfing Syria are his own making, empty promises of reform fool no one." Egypt's president, Mohamed Morsi, told CNN that he supported calls for Assad to be tried for war crimes. Assad's last last public speech was in June 2012. In November he told Russian TV he would "live and die in Syria". Opposition media described clashes taking place between government and rebel forces near the Yarmuk refugee camp as well as anti-Assad demonstrations in Qadam and Homs. In all, 52 people were reported killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor. Reconciliation could take place only with those "who have not betrayed Syria", the president declared, repeating that the government had no "partner" for peace. There could not be simply a political solution he insisted, but there had to be an end to violence and terror. There was loud cheering when he praised the bravery of the Syrian armed forces. Assad said a "national dialogue" would draw up a charter to be put to a national referendum, followed by parliamentary elections and a general amnesty. But Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, thought Assad had simply repeated empty promises. "As Assad no longer has the representative authority over the Syrian people, his words have lost persuasiveness," he said. "A transition period needs to be completed swiftly through talks with representatives of the Syrian nation." In Brussels, the EU foreign affairs chief, Cathy Ashton, promised to "look carefully" at the speech, but added: "We maintain our position that Assad has to step aside and allow for a political transition." In his speech, Assad thanked Russia, China and Iran for supporting Syria in the face of hostility from the US, Britain and France. "Syria is impervious to collapse and the Syrian people impervious to humiliation," he concluded. "We will always be like that. Hand in hand we will move ahead, taking Syria to a brighter and stronger future."
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Senator Lindsey Graham says 'incredibly controversial choice' will be an 'in-your-face nomination to all supportive of Israel' President Barack Obama could announce former Republican senator Chuck Hagel as his pick for defense secretary as early as Monday, despite senior GOP figures raising questions over the seemingly imminent nomination. Numerous media outlets cited unnamed White House and congressional aides as confirming that the former Nebraska senator would be named as the replacement for Leon Panetta, with a White House statement expected in the coming days. This would set up a confrontation with Hagel's detractors in the Senate, many from his own party, who believe that he has only been lukewarm towards the US's traditional ally in the Middle East, Israel. One senior Republican said on Sunday that it would be an "in-your-face" nomination by the president. Hagel has also been criticised for comments he has made over the effectiveness of sanctions in dissuading Iran from pursuing its nuclear programme. The appointment of Hagel would give Obama credibility regarding his expressed desire for a bipartisan cabinet. Many Republicans, however, are bracing for battle. On Sunday's round of political talk shows, senior GOP figures went on the offensive. "It is an incredibly controversial choice," the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham told CNN's State of the Union. "This is an in-your-face nomination by the president to all of us who are supportive of Israel." Hagel has been critical of the influence of pro-Israeli lobbyists in Washington on US foreign policy. The Senate's top Republican, the minority leader Mitch McConnell, was more reserved in his comments. Speaking on ABC's This Week, McConnell said Hagel "has certainly been outspoken" on foreign policy matters in the past. He added that if the nomination was made, he would want to see if the former Nebraska senator's views "make sense for that particular job". The likely confirmation battle in the Senate comes after the Obama administration backed down from a similar fight over Susan Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations who had been Obama's first pick to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Rice withdrew under a barrage of criticism from Republicans, regarding remarks she made in the aftermath of the assault on the US consulate in Benghazi in September that killed the ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. The White House could face an equally tough battle over Hagel. "The administration has a lot of work to do on Hagel. He is in a weaker position now than Rice ever was because Rice would have rallied Democrats behind her," a Senate Democratic aide told Reuters. But Obama has already pressed the case. "I've served with Chuck Hagel. I know him. He is a patriot. He is somebody who has done extraordinary work both in the United States Senate, somebody who served this country with valour in Vietnam," the president told NBC's Meet the Press last week.
  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Five men accused of gang rape that killed woman appear in court for the first time ahead of fast-track trial The five men accused of a brutal gang-rape that killed an Indian woman have appeared in a New Delhi court, with two of them offering evidence possibly in return for a lighter sentence in the case that has led to a global outcry. The five men, along with a teenager, are accused of raping the 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in New Delhi. She died two weeks later on 28 December in a Singapore hospital from her injuries. Television images on Monday morning showed the blue police van believed to be transporting the suspects from Tihar jail as it arrived at the court gate prior to the hearing. Two of the accused, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta, moved an application on Saturday requesting they be made "approvers", or informers against the other accused, a public prosecutor in the case, Rajiv Mohan, told the Reuters news agency. The men are appearing before a newly formed fast-track court and their trial is expected to take place over the next few weeks. A teenager who is also accused will likely be tried in a juvenile court. The brutal case ignited protests across India and neighbouring countries, and prompted government promises for tougher punishments for offenders.
Ahead of Monday's court appearance, the five still had no defence lawyers – despite extensive interrogations by the police, who have said they have recorded confessions – after members of the bar association in the South Delhi district where the case is being heard vowed not to represent them. The men will be assigned lawyers by the court before the trial begins but their lack of representation so far could give grounds for appeal later should they be found guilty, experts say. Similar cases have resulted in acquittals years after convictions. "The accused has a right to a lawyer from point of arrest – the investigations are going on, statements being taken, it is totally illegal," said Colin Gonsalves, a senior supreme court advocate and director of Delhi's Human Rights Law Network. Senior leaders of most states on Friday came out in support of a plan to lower to 16 the age that minors can be tried as adults – in response to fury that the maximum penalty the accused youth could face is three years' detention.
A government panel is considering suggestions to make the death penalty mandatory for rape and introducing forms of chemical castration for the guilty. It is due to make its recommendations by 23 January. Official data shows one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes in India. India set up 1,700 fast-track courts in 2004 but stopped funding them in 2012 because they turned out to be costly. The courts typically work six days a week and try to reduce adjournments that lead to long delays in cases. "The record of the fast-track courts is mixed," Gonsalves said. Conviction rates rose, he said, but due process was sometimes rushed, leading to convictions being overturned.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Five men accused of gang rape that killed woman to appear in court for the first time ahead of fast-track trial The five men accused of a brutal gang-rape that killed an Indian woman are due to appear in a New Delhi court, with two of them offering evidence possibly in return for a lighter sentence in the case that has led to a global outcry. The five men, along with a teenager, are accused of raping the 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in New Delhi. She died two weeks later on 28 December in a Singapore hospital from her injuries. Television images on Monday morning showed the blue police van believed to be transporting the suspects from Tihar jail as it arrived at the court gate prior to the hearing. Two of the accused, Vinay Sharma and Pawan Gupta, moved an application on Saturday requesting they be made "approvers", or informers against the other accused, a public prosecutor in the case, Rajiv Mohan, told the Reuters news agency. The men are appearing before a newly formed fast-track court and their trial is expected to take place over the next few weeks. A teenager who is also accused will likely be tried in a juvenile court. The brutal case ignited protests across India and neighbouring countries, and prompted government promises for tougher punishments for offenders.
Ahead of Monday's court appearance, the five still had no defence lawyers – despite extensive interrogations by the police, who have said they have recorded confessions – after members of the bar association in the South Delhi district where the case is being heard vowed not to represent them. The men will be assigned lawyers by the court before the trial begins but their lack of representation so far could give grounds for appeal later should they be found guilty, experts say. Similar cases have resulted in acquittals years after convictions. "The accused has a right to a lawyer from point of arrest – the investigations are going on, statements being taken, it is totally illegal," said Colin Gonsalves, a senior supreme court advocate and director of Delhi's Human Rights Law Network. Senior leaders of most states on Friday came out in support of a plan to lower to 16 the age that minors can be tried as adults – in response to fury that the maximum penalty the accused youth could face is three years' detention.
A government panel is considering suggestions to make the death penalty mandatory for rape and introducing forms of chemical castration for the guilty. It is due to make its recommendations by 23 January. Official data shows one rape is reported on average every 20 minutes in India. India set up 1,700 fast-track courts in 2004 but stopped funding them in 2012 because they turned out to be costly. The courts typically work six days a week and try to reduce adjournments that lead to long delays in cases. "The record of the fast-track courts is mixed," Gonsalves said. Conviction rates rose, he said, but due process was sometimes rushed, leading to convictions being overturned.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | US secretary of state to resume schedule of meetings on Monday as resignation announcement is awaited Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, will return to work on Monday, a little over a week after being taken to hospital with a cranial blood clot, officials have said. The state department on Sunday released a schedule that shows Clinton meeting with assistant secretaries on Monday morning. The most significant items on her agenda are meetings in Washington on Thursday and Friday with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president. Clinton, 65, will sit down with assistant secretaries of state for a closed-door meeting on Monday at 9.15am at the start of a week-long schedule containing nearly a dozen meetings, including three at the White House. The secretary was released from New York Presbyterian hospital last Wednesday after a stay of several days during which she was given blood thinners to treat the clot in a vein behind her right ear. She has been resting at home in New York since then. Clinton has suffered a series of ailments over the last month, including a stomach virus and concussion. Her doctors have said they expect her to make a full recovery. The state department said Clinton kept up with her work by talking to her staff and receiving memos. Her first White House meeting this week is to take place on Tuesday and include the secretary of defence, Leon Panetta, and national security adviser, Tom Donilon, the state department has said. She is also scheduled to meet with the ambassadors of Ireland and South Africa on Tuesday. Clinton is expected to step down in the next few weeks. President Barack Obama has chosen Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, to succeed her.
 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Prime minister visits Tasmania, where whole communities have been burnt out, as week of explosive heat looms Australia is bracing for days of "catastrophic" fire and heatwave conditions, with fires burning in five states and a search continuing for people missing after devastating wildfires in the island state of Tasmania. Julia Gillard, the Australian prime minister, toured fire-ravaged Tasmanian townships and promised emergency aid for survivors, who told of a fireball that engulfed communities across the thinly populated state on Friday and Saturday. "The trees just exploded," local resident Ashley Zanol told Australian radio, recounting a wall of flames that surrounded his truck as he carted water to assist fire crews in the township of Murdunna, which was largely destroyed. Tasmanian police said around 100 people feared missing in bushfires had been accounted for and there had so far been no deaths as authorities combed through smouldering ruins of homes and vehicles while evacuating local people and tourists. There are fires in five of Australia's six states, with 90 in the most populous state of New South Wales and in mountain forests around the national capital, Canberra. Severe fire conditions were forecast for Tuesday, replicating those of 2009, when the Black Saturday wildfires in Victoria state killed 173 people and caused $4.4bn-worth (£2.7bn) of damage. A record heatwave, which began in western Australia on 27 December and lasted eight days, was the fiercest in more than 80 years in that state and has spread east across the nation, making it the widest-ranging heatwave in more than a decade, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Tuesday would bring the highest bushfire temperature conditions, said fire officials. In such circumstances people would be advised to flee any threatening fire as crews as the blaze would likely to be too fierce for fire crews to extinguish. "Any fire that burns under the predicted conditions - 40C temperatures, below 10% humidity, winds gusting over 70km/hr (43mph) – those conditions are by any measure horrendous," said Rob Rogers, deputy commissioner of the New South Wales rural fire service. In Canberra, hit by a firestorm in 2003 that destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said they were expecting the worst conditions in the decade since, with a fifth day of searing temperatures and strong winds.
"With those winds it boosts up the fire danger significantly," the city's deputy fire chief, Michael Joyce, told local reporters. Blazes sparked by weekend lightning storms were already burning in forests surrounding the sprawling lake-and-bushland city, as they did 10 years earlier. Authorities warned earlier in the Australian summer that much of the country faced extreme fire conditions this season, after several years of cooler conditions that had aided forest growth but also created tinder dry fire fuel conditions. Gillard warned all Australians to be alert as temperatures soared in coming days. "We live in a country that is hot and dry, and where we sustain very destructive fires periodically, so there is always going to be risk," she said. "We do know over time that as a result of climate change we are going to see more extreme weather events and conditions." Australia is the world's second largest wheat exporter but its wheat harvest was not expected to be affected by the fires and hot weather, as the vast majority of this season's winter crop had already been harvested, analysts said. "In respect to the summer crop, the sunflowers, sorghum for example, the weather will have an impact, particularly in northern New South Wales where they had low soil moisture coming into the season," said Andrew Woodhouse, grains analyst at Advance Trading Australasia. GrainCorp, Australia's largest listed agricultural company, said the planting window for crops like sorghum would close in mid-February, allowing farmers to delay seeding until conditions improved. "Farmers will be looking for rain for sure but we will have to wait and see what happens," said GrainCorp spokesman Angus Trigg.
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