Forensic tests show only Zimmerman's DNA on handgun
Forensic tests have shown only George Zimmerman’s DNA on the grip of the gun used to fatally shoot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. The results made public Wednesday rule out Martin's DNA from being on the gun's grip, AP reports. Zimmerman's DNA also was identified on the gun's holster, while the tests were inconclusive as to whether Martin's DNA was on the holster. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Martin in a gated community in Sanford, Florida, in February. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty, claiming self-defense. He says Martin was on top of him when he drew his gun from its holster before Martin could get it. Nationwide protests were provoked by the delay in Zimmerman's detention.
Milosevic family welcome back in Serbia - official
A senior Serbian official has said that Slobodan Milosevic’s widow and son should return from exile in Russia, now that the old leader’s allies have returned to power. The former pro-Western Serbian government, which issued their arrest warrants for alleged cigarette smuggling, was defeated in May. It is currently unclear whether the charges against them will be dropped, but the official has expressed hopes that they will return. Milosevic himself died while on trial in 2006.
US sanctions come into force against Taliban-linked Haqqanis
US penalties against the Pakistan-based Haqqani network of militants have come into force after the group was designated a “foreign terrorist organization.” The decision, announced earlier by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was formalized Wednesday with the publication in the Federal Register, AP said. Washington freezes any assets that the group or its members have in US jurisdictions and bans Americans from doing business with them. The Taliban-allied network is responsible for numerous attacks in the Afghan capital, including a rocket-propelled grenade assault on the US Embassy and NATO headquarters last September.
Turkey probe says Syria downed jet in international airspace
A Turkish jet that crashed in June was downed after a Syrian missile exploded nearby in international airspace, the Turkish army said on Wednesday. The final report says the Turkish plane fell “due to the blast effect that incapacitated the pilots and the plane,” AFP said. The blast near the F4 Phantom’s rear reportedly caused a dramatic loss of altitude, killing the two pilots. The probe by the army prosecutor reiterates Turkey’s official position that the plane was shot down in international airspace. The claim is rejected by Damascus.
Yemen to launch inquiry into human rights violations during a 2011 uprising
Yemen has decided to set up a committee of inquiry to investigate allegations of human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law after a five-month long debate. The investigation will explore the deaths of some 2,000 people who were killed during an uprising last year, alongside the 20,000 injuries which others sustained. President Ali Abdullah Saleh has previously been immune from prosecution under Yemeni law.
Eight killed as bomb hits passenger van in northwest Pakistan
A bomb struck a passenger van in northwest Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, Pakistani police say. The blast which occurred in the outskirts of Peshawar wounded 24 people, AP reports. The attack targeted a vehicle carrying Pakistani air force officials that was driving through the area. The bomb was reportedly planted in parked car.
Danish weekly to publish UK’s Kate topless photos – editor
Kim Henningsen, editor in chief of Se & Hoer, a Danish celebrity weekly, has said the pictures of Prince William's wife Kate will appear in a 16-page supplement sold with Thursday’s edition. Henningsen said on Wednesday Denmark's entertainment fans should know “what these photos are all about,” AP said. The magazine had been offered 240 pictures but will only use 60 to 70 of them. Henningsen did not say who sold photos or how much money was paid for them. The photos have already been published in France, Italy and Ireland. A French court has banned future publication in the country.
French schools in Tunisia close over security concerns
French schools in Tunisia are closing for the rest of the week due to security concerns after a French magazine published a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed. The measure is preventative, no threats had been received, the French embassy in the country told AFP. The French Cultural Institute in Tunis and the House of France will be also closed from Thursday till Monday morning. This comes amid mass Muslim protests across the world which were triggered by a controversial US-made amateur movie ridiculing the Prophet.
Pakistani military kills 29 Taliban near Afghan border
The Pakistani military said it killed 29 Taliban fighters on Wednesday. The battle was the final stage of an operation aimed at forcing hundreds of insurgents back across the border into Afghanistan. Artillery, helicopter gun ships and fighter jets were used against the insurgents, Reuters said. Around 400 militants had crossed from Afghanistan into Pakistan on August 23 and attacked villages. The army launched operations that killed around 120 militants, while 25 soldiers also reportedly died.
Muslim leaders call French Mohammed cartoons 'new insult'
Muslim leaders have urged France to take firm action after a French magazine’s publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on Wednesday. “We reject and condemn the French cartoons that dishonor the Prophet,” the acting head of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Essam Erian, said, as cited by Reuters. “If the case of Kate [Britain's Duchess of Cambridge] is a matter of privacy, then the cartoons are an insult to a whole people,” he said. In Lebanon, leading Salafist cleric Sheikh Nabil Rahim warned the cartoons were extremely insulting and could lead to more violence. An official in Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church called the publication a “deliberate provocation.”
S. Africa miners celebrate wage deal, end strike
Lonmin platinum miners celebrated a wage deal on Wednesday, ending a deadly strike that saw more than 40 killed in August. Thousands gathered at Marikana, the scene of the protracted strike by Lonmin miners, AP reports. Many said they were happy to return to work Thursday. Lonmin agreed to pay a gross of US$1,385 to rock drill operators who had been demanding a monthly take-home wage of $1,560. The company said that miners will receive between 11 and 22 per cent wage increases. On the same day, police dispersed an illegal gathering at a different mine near the town of Rustenburg.
Pakistan to declare holiday for prophet in response to anti-Islam film
The Pakistan government is expected to declare Friday a national holiday in honor of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, officials said on Wednesday. The cabinet decided to make Friday an official “day of expression of love for the prophet” after discussing the film The Innocence of Muslims, a senior government official told AFP. The controversial film has triggered more than a week of violent protests across the Muslim world. Religious parties in Pakistan have called for a day of protest on Friday to denounce the film. The head of one leading Sunni party, the Sunni Tehreek, on Monday urged people to close their businesses and hold rallies against the film.
China’s Bo Xilai implicated for first time in criminal case
Beijing for the first time on Wednesday implicated former senior politician Bo Xilai in the death of a British businessman. Xinhua news agency published an official account of ex-police chief Wang Lijun’s trial this week in Chengdu city, near Chongqing. He reportedly tried to tell the Chongqing party committee's head Bo “that Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, was suspected of murdering a British businessman.” Wang was “angrily rebuked and had his ears boxed,” the agency said. Wang spoke on the murder and cover-up of British businessman Neil Heywood in February when he went to a US Consulate in Chengdu. Bo later was sacked and his wife Gu was accused of poisoning the businessman. Bo has only been accused so far of breaching internal party discipline.
Syrian opposition bloc wants Libyan-style Arab initiative
Syria’s main opposition group, Syrian National Council (SNC), has urged Arab states to work together to effect an international intervention in Syria similar to the joint initiative in Libya. “We call on the Arabs to undertake a clear and serious initiative, like the position they took towards the Libyan revolution,” SNC head Abdulbaset Sieda said on Wednesday. He also told pan-Arab al-Hayat newspaper that the SNC objected to Iran's participation in efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, Reuters reports. The Arab League asked the UN Security Council for a no-fly zone last year to protect civilians in Libya. The move paved the way for NATO and Arab allies to help rebels overthrow Muammar Gaddafi.
‘Human factor’ behind Sukhoi Superjet crash in Indonesia – source
The human element was found the main cause of the crash of Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet in Indonesia on May 9, a source in the investigation commission has said. The plane itself was in good order, the source told RIA Novosti. Russian and Indonesian representatives signed a protocol on the inquiry’s results on Wednesday, he said, adding, that it does not mean all the i’s were dotted in the investigation. The causes of the crash will be officially published in the end of October. The brand-new jet piloted by experienced pilots crashed during a demo flight, killing all 45 people on board.
France tightens security at embassies over Mohammed cartoons
Paris stepped up security at its embassies on Wednesday in states where it expects hostile reactions to a French magazine's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. “I have obviously issued instructions so that special security measures are taken in all the countries where this could pose a problem,” AFP quoted Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius as saying. The minister said he was concerned by the potential for a backlash to satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo's publication of the cartoons.
S. Africa police use teargas against mine protesters
South African police have fired teargas at protesters in a township near a mine owned by Anglo American Platinum outside Rustenburg. The company representatives have confirmed the information, Reuters reported. South African Police Service dispersed an “illegal gathering at Sondela informal settlement,” spokeswoman Mpumi Sithole said.
French weekly Charlie Hebdo publishes Mohammed cartoons
French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on Wednesday. The magazine included several caricatures of the Prophet on its inside pages, some of him naked, Reuters reports. The publication was criticized by the French authorities. Riot police were sent to protect the magazine’s offices. Last November, Charlie Hebdo's Paris offices were firebombed after it published a mocking caricature of Mohammed. In 2005, Danish cartoons of the Prophet sparked a wave of violent protests across the Muslim world.
Rebels tear down Syrian flag at border gate on Turkish frontier
Rebels reportedly tore down a Syrian flag at a border post on the frontier with Turkey on Wednesday during a battle to seize control of the crossing. Turkish television showed Syrian rebels taking down the Syrian flag on top of a government building at the Tel Abyad border gate, Reuters reports. It was not clear whether the rebels had seized control of the whole crossing. The fighting started on Tuesday evening. It is the first attempt by insurgents to take control of a border zone in Syria's al-Raqqa province. Most of the area has remained pro-government.
World Bank warns of deepening Palestinian fiscal crisis
The World Bank warned on Wednesday of a deepening fiscal crisis in the Palestinian territories, appealing to donors to act urgently. The finances of the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, have been hurt by reduced donor funding, higher spending on pensions and loans and a revenue shortfall primarily in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, the World Bank said. Strong private sector investment is hampered because Israel bars Palestinians from 60 per cent of the West Bank, the report said, as cited by AP. It added that donors, including the US and some Arab states, have not met their funding pledges. The Palestinian Authority relies on that money to pay salaries to 150,000 civil servants.
Japan launches new nuclear regulation authority
Tokyo has launched a new nuclear oversight agency as the country reviews its energy policies following the Fukushima crisis. The five-member Nuclear Regulation Authority, headed by nuclear physicist Shunichi Tanaka, was inaugurated Wednesday following months of delay due to opposition, AP said. Critics said that collusion between regulators and plant operators contributed to meltdowns at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant. A cabinet advisory panel last week proposed a new national energy policy aimed at phasing out nuclear power over the next three decades.
Kyrgyzstan to block internet access to anti-Muslim film
The Prosecutor General’s Office in Kyrgyzstan gave instructions to the state-run telecommunications agency to block internet access to the film Innocence of Muslims in the republic. The video “contains some signs of propaganda for instigating religious strife, which caused the ban for the distribution of this video film in the Kyrgyz segment of the internet,” the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office said, as cited by Itar-Tass. The State National Security Committee will conduct the expertise of this film for the signs of “the propaganda of religious strife or other traces of extremism.” Prosecutors are expected to file a lawsuit in the court to find the film as “extremist material.”
Controversial Osprey VTOL aircraft OK’d for Japan deployment
Japan has given the go ahead for the US to start flying the MV-22 Osprey in its airspace starting next month. The vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) plane will begin flying over Japan despite its controversial safety record. However, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba brushed away concerns over investigations into two Osprey crashes, saying "We have confirmed that the two accidents were caused by human factors and not by the aircrafts' systemic problems or by technical problems."
Battle between Syrian rebels and govt erupts on Turkish border
A fierce battle erupted when rebels attacked Syrian government forces in an attempt to gain control of the border crossing with Turkey in Raqqa province. Turkish authorities have told residents to evacuate the area. Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency said six Syrians were injured in the fight and were brought across the border to Turkey for treatment. Syrian opposition confirmed the attack, but it is not yet known whether they gained control of the border post.
American ambassador’s car attacked in China
Anti-Japanese demonstrators in China attacked the car of the US ambassador to the country. The diplomat is unhurt, though the car has been slightly damaged. Over 50 Chinese activists protesting against Japanese claims over the Diaoyu Islands — known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands – took part in the incident. The American embassy has already demanded that the Chinese Foreign Ministry ensure the security of US diplomats and assets in China. Anti-Chinese protests continue in over 100 Chinese cities. All Japanese enterprises in China are closed. Observers have noticed before that since the US is regarded as close ally of Japan, Chinese protesters might turn their rage on American citizens, too.
Colombia’s last big drug lord captured
Colombia’s last big drug lord has been arrested in Venezuela, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced Tuesday, according to AP. This follow arrests of two other alleged Colombian drug kingpins over the past 12 months. Santos said alleged drug boss Daniel "Loco" Barrera was arrested in the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal after months of multinational cooperation that included help from the United States and other nations. "The last of the great capos has fallen," Santos said in a brief statement to journalists.
Romney campaign $11 million in debt
Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is $11 million in debt after borrowing $20 million in August to pay for its expenses, The Washington Post reports citing a senior campaign official. Despite Romney’s campaign raising hundreds of millions of dollars in general elections funds, his team could not legally tap those funds until after he was officially nominated at the Republican National Convention. During the summer, Romney could only spend primary dollars. Once the campaign had run out of this money it was forced to borrow more to pay its bills.
YouTube blocks access to anti-Islam film in Saudi Arabia
YouTube says it has blocked access to the controversial anti-Islam film that’s sparked a wave of angry protests across the Muslim world. The announcement comes after Saudi authorities sent a request to Google Inc., YouTube’s owner, asking it to "veil" all links containing the “Innocence of Muslims” - an amateur film produced in the US which ridicules the Prophet Muhammad. The Saudi government said the clip was breaking the country’s laws. “Innocence of Muslims” has already been blocked in many Muslim countries.
Chicago teachers end strike
Teachers in Chicago decided to end their seven-day strike on Tuesday. The teachers have been without contracts since June. The Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates voted to return to work after an agreement was reached with the city authorities. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the tentative agreement that led to the suspension of the strike was `an honest compromise.”
Blast at Mexican refinery kills 10
At least 10 people have been killed in an explosion and fire at a Mexican refinery near the US border, the state oil company Pemex said. Some 40 people have been injured in the accident that occurred Tuesday near the city of Reynosa. The fire that broke out after the blast has been extinguished, the company said. "The fire is extinguished, and the situation is under control," Pemex said in a Twitter post. The cause of the explosion is being investigated.
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