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New Yorker Jailed For Role In Failed Bomb Plot

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 17 November 2012 | 14.59

A Bosnia-born US citizen has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a foiled suicide-bomb plot on New York City subways in 2009.

Adis Medunjanin, 28, was convicted this year of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, attempting to commit an act of terrorism and other terrorism charges in a plot authorities called one of the closest calls since the 9/11 attacks.

Prosecutors had argued for a life term for Medunjanin, saying he "committed a host of heinous crimes aimed at killing and maiming his fellow American citizens in order to alter and take revenge for American foreign policy".

The trial ending in May was mostly notable because it featured the first-ever testimony from admitted homegrown terrorists about al Qaeda's determination to strike America on its home turf.

Two of Medunjanin's former high school classmates, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay, testified that the three men sought terror training after falling under the influence of inflammatory recordings of US-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Najibullah Zazi testified against Adis Medunjanin

Zazi was flown to New York after his arrest in Colorado in 2009

The government's case was built on the testimony of Zazi, Ahmedzay and two other men: a British would-be shoe bomber and a man originally from Long Island who gave al Qaeda pointers on how best to attack a Walmart store.

Zazi and Ahmedzay, who testified as part of plea deal, told jurors that the scheme unfolded after the trio travelled to Pakistan in 2008 to avenge the US invasion of Afghanistan.

While receiving terror training at outposts in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, al Qaeda operatives encouraged the American recruits to return home for a suicide-bombing mission intended to spread panic and cripple the economy.

Among the targets considered were the New York Stock Exchange, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, the men testified.

In a later meeting in New York, the plotters decided to strap on bombs and blow themselves up at rush hour on Manhattan subway lines because the transit system is "the heart of everything in New York City," Zazi said.

When leaving Pakistan, Zazi relocated to Colorado, where he perfected a homemade detonator in a hotel room and set out for New York City by car around the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Najibullah Zazi involved in failed NYC subway bomb plot

Zazi moved to Colorado after returning from Pakistan

The plot - financed in part by $50,000 (£31,500) in credit card charges - was abandoned after Zazi noticed that everywhere he drove in New York, a car followed.

"I think law enforcement is on us," he recalled telling Ahmedzay. Later, he said he told Medunjanin in a text message, "We are done."

Aside from Zazi and Ahmedzay, two other convicted terrorists were called as witnesses to give a rare glimpse into al Qaeda's training methods and the mindset of its leadership.

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Three People Reported Dead In Gaza Airstrike

Gaza Attack: Cock-Up Or Conspiracy?

Updated: 8:45pm UK, Friday 16 November 2012

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

Why would Hamas fire a rocket towards Jerusalem?

The first explanation to be dealt derives from the cock-up theory of world affairs. This suggests that unintended events drive history as much as grand strategy.

So Hamas, or its radical allies, didn't shoot a missile towards Jerusalem - they were aiming somewhere else and it went awry.

Admitting this would have been embarrassing for a militant group which prides itself on efficiency and discipline.

After all, a misfire which landed on the West Bank close to Jewish settlements risked killing Palestinians more than it risked killing Israelis.

On top of that, hitting the Gush Etzion settler block raised the danger of international outrage if the missile had drifted off into Bethlehem nearby.

One could argue that Hamas made a hash of the launch of what they are now claiming is a new long-range missile. Then pretended the mistake was intentional, and sought to make the best of a bad shot.

Oddly enough, the effect of the cock-up theory would be the same as the effect of a conspiracy theory.

In that model Hamas got its hands on a new weapon. It fired it at settlers in the West Bank, not far from Jerusalem and hit its intended target - an illegal Jewish bloc in the Occupied Territories.

This sends a message to fellow Palestinians on the West Bank that there is a force among them to be seriously reckoned with.

It could lure many away from the moderate views of the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. It could help to trigger a Third Intifada.

And it is a psychological blow to the Jewish citizens of Jerusalem who have never considered themselves physically vulnerable to events on the Gaza Strip.

Cock-up or conspiracy?

In the Middle East, a modern concept forged in Roman, Greek and Byzantine Empires, tempered by the Ottomans and bent out of shape by Europe's colonial powers - every event is a conspiracy.

That is bad news for Israel, and very bad news for the 1.7 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza.

If Hamas has new rockets. If Hamas fired them at Jerusalem successfully. And if Hamas has more of these in an arsenal already estimated to have held 10,000 missiles - then Israel will launch a ground assault. Obviously.

Less obvious is the next level of conspiracy, or unintended consequences.

Is a ground assault in Hamas' interests?

Has Hamas - the militant group, trained by experts from Hizbollah who are probably the world's greatest insurgents, prepared a trap for Israel?

It has been re-arming itself. Israeli sources say it has state-of-the-art tank killing weaponry and Hizbollah's expertise with improvised bombs.

With the Arab street rallying to its cause in Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan; Hamas under fire looks stronger than it did a few weeks ago.

Imagine Israeli troops ambushed in the maze of Gaza City. Groups of young men killed and captured. Israel forced into the use of devastating weapons or an ignominious retreat

So as he contemplates giving Israel's famed Golani, Givati and Paratroop brigades now on the start line outside Gaza the 'GO!' order, the Israeli Prime Minister must ask himself whether or not he is doing Hamas' bidding.

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Dozens Killed In Egypt School Bus Crash

Forty school children have been killed after a train collided with a bus south of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

More follows...

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BP: Manslaughter Charges Over Oil Disaster

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 16 November 2012 | 14.59

Two employees of BP face manslaughter charges over the Gulf of Mexico spill, as the oil giant agrees to pay a record £2.8bn fine.

Legal papers allege that well site leaders Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine acted negligently in their supervision of key safety tests performed on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig before an explosion killed 11 workers in April 2010.

David Rainey, who was BP's vice president of exploration for the Gulf of Mexico, also faces charges of obstruction of Congress and false statements.

Earlier on Thursday, BP agreed to pay £2.8bn over six years after reaching a deal with the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The company will plead guilty to 14 criminal charges relating to the disaster.

Thick oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill floats on the surface of the water and coats the marsh wetlands in Bay Jimmy near Port Sulphur, Louisiana.

Thick oil from the spill pictured in Louisiana after the disaster

"I want to be clear that today's resolution does mark the end of our efforts, and our criminal investigation remains ongoing," US Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters.

Bob Dudley, chief executive of BP, said: "We apologise for our role in the accident and as today's resolution with the US government further reflects, we have accepted responsibility for our actions."

Under the deal, BP has pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect and three misdemeanour counts - including one under the Clean Water Act and one for obstructing Congress.

BP will pay £2.5bn to the DoJ in instalments over five years. It will pay an additional £331m to the SEC over a period of three years.

The oil company will make the first payment of £110m to the SEC this year.

The group has already paid out more than £24bn relating to the oil spill.

Mr Dudley said: "All of us at BP deeply regret the tragic loss of life caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident as well as the impact of the spill on the Gulf Coast region."

He added: "Since the spill, we have worked hard to rebuild confidence in the company.

"We take seriously not only our commitment to safety and operational excellence but also our communications with stakeholders, including the public, the government and our investors."

The settlement removes some of the uncertainty hanging over the stock since the disaster, but it does not cover outstanding civil claims against the group.

BP said it will "continue to vigorously defend itself" against civil claims and allegations of gross negligence.

"We are open to settlements, but only on reasonable terms," said Mr Dudley.

The settlement does not include individual civil claims or any compensation sought from individual states along the Gulf Coast.

BP said, as part of the settlement, it had agreed to improve safety at its Gulf of Mexico drilling operations and appoint two monitors to review safety and ethics at the company.

The group has struggled to repair its reputation after the Deepwater explosion, despite paying out billions of dollars so far to cover costs and claims.

It has been selling assets as part of its pledge to raise cash to pay the costs of the Gulf of Mexico disaster.

It has recently sold a Texas City refinery, five oil and gas fields in the US Gulf of Mexico and its Bristol-based liquified petroleum gas (LPG) distribution arm.

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Petraeus Affair 'Posed No Risk To Security'

Timeline Of The Scandal

Updated: 4:48pm UK, Wednesday 14 November 2012

A timeline of the tangled relationships at the center of a scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus and Army General John Allen.

:: Spring 2006 Paula Broadwell meets Gen David Petraeus when he has a speaking engagement at Harvard University, where she is a graduate student.

:: January 2007 Gen Petraeus is confirmed by the Senate as the commanding general for US troops in Iraq.

:: 2008 Ms Broadwell initiates a case study of Gen Petraeus' leadership; Socialite Jill Kelley and her husband host social events in Tampa for the area's military brass, including Gen Petraeus and General John Allen.

:: October 2008 Gen Petraeus is named commander of US Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida.

:: June 30, 2010 The Senate confirms Gen Petraeus as the commander for war in Afghanistan.

:: 2010-2011 Ms Broadwell makes multiple trips to Afghanistan and receives unprecedented access to Gen Petraeus and his commanders as she researches a biography of the general

:: September 6, 2011 Gen Petraeus is sworn in as CIA director.

:: November 2011 Gen Petraeus begins an extramarital affair with Ms Broadwell, according to close friend and retired Army Colonel Steve Boylan.

:: December 2011 Ms Kelley and her twin sister, Natalie Khawam, have Christmas dinner with Gen Petraeus and his wife, Holly.

:: January 24, 2012 Ms Broadwell's biography, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus," is released.

:: May 2012 Ms Kelley receives anonymous, harassing emails about Gen Petraeus. An FBI investigation starts soon after.

:: Summer 2012 FBI agents determine that Ms Kelley's emails were from Ms Broadwell. The FBI finds a private account tied to Gen Petraeus, and emails indicating Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell are having an affair. The FBI interviews them both.

:: July 2012 The affair between Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell ends, according to Col Boylan.

:: Summer 2012 Though the FBI has concluded there was no national security breach, Attorney General Eric Holder is notified of the affair.

:: September 2012 Gen Petraeus and Gen Allen write letters on behalf of Ms Khawam during her divorce custody battle.

:: The week of October 29, 2012 The FBI interviews Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell again. Both have already acknowledged the affair.

:: November 6 The Justice Department informs Director of National Intelligence James Clapper of the investigation. Mr Clapper urges Gen Petraeus to resign.

:: November 7 The White House is first notified about the affair involving Gen Petraeus; it is the general's 60th birthday.

:: November 8 President Barack Obama is told of the affair. Gen Petraeus meets with Mr Obama at the White House and asks to resign.

:: November 9 Mr Obama accepts Gen Petraeus' resignation. Ms Broadwell's husband cancels her upcoming 40th birthday party.

:: November 11 Ms Kelley's identity is revealed by the Associated Press; she issues a statement asking for privacy.

:: November 13 The Pentagon reveals an investigation has been opened into "inappropriate" emails dating from 2010 to 2012 between Ms Kelley and Gen Allen, now top American commander in Afghanistan.

Gen Allen's nomination to be the next commander of US European Command and the commander of NATO forces in Europe is put on hold.

:: November 21 A meeting to discuss the FBI investigation is scheduled with the FBI, CIA acting director Michael Morell and senior members of Congress.

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Gaza Airstrikes: Israeli Truce As Egypt PM Visits

Israel's prime minister has called a halt to airstrikes on the Gaza Strip as Egypt's prime minister visits the territory.

However, the temporary truce comes after the Palestinian territory suffered a second night of heavy bombardment, with Israeli warplanes hitting targets in and around Gaza City.

"There have been 130 strikes overnight until now," Hamas interior ministry spokesman Islam Shahwan said.

He said the strikes destroyed a building belonging to the interior ministry, while there were also reports that training positions used by various Palestinian militant groups had also been hit.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said 11 Palestinian rockets had been fired from Gaza at Israel overnight.

Gazans also continued to be concerned that a ground assault remains a possibility as troops, tanks and armoured personnel carriers massed near Israel's southern border with the Palestinian territory.

Palestinians extinguish a fire after Israeli air strikes targeted Interior Ministry building in Gaza City.

An interior ministry building in Gaza City comes under fire from Israel

It has given the green light to the call-up of up to 30,000 army reservists - another strong indication that Israeli troops are preparing to enter the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil is leading a delegation to Gaza to explore the possibility of brokering a ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all offensive actions would be called off during the visit, as long as Palestinian groups refrain from firing rockets across the border.

A senior Israeli official said: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to an Egyptian request to cease all offensive operations in Gaza during the visit of the Egyptian prime minister there this morning, which is supposed to last for about three hours.

"In the answer that has been forwarded to Egyptians, we've said that the Israel Defense Forces will cease fire on the condition that there won't be fire from Gaza into Israel during that period."

An Israeli armoured vehicle moves towards the border with the Gaza Strip

Two days of Israeli air strikes have killed 19 Palestinians, including seven militants and 12 civilians - among them six children and a pregnant woman. A Palestinian rocket killed three Israelis in the town of Kiryat Malachi on Thursday.

Two more rockets from Gaza landed near Tel Aviv in the first such attack on Israel's commercial capital in 20 years. One fell into the Mediterranean Sea and the other in an uninhabited part of one of the suburbs south of the city.

Prime Minister David Cameron has blamed Hamas militants for the escalation of violence in a phone call to Mr Netanyahu.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister said that he was extremely concerned by the dangerous situation and deeply sorry for the loss of civilian life on both sides.

"He said the rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups were completely unacceptable and that the increasing frequency of rocket attacks in recent days was the immediate cause of the situation.

"He made clear that Hamas bears the principal responsibility for crisis.

Egypt's Prime Minister Hisham Kandil

"The Prime Minister said that the priority must be to de-escalate the crisis. He called on Mr Netanyahu to do all he could to avoid civilian casualties and emphasised that both sides needed to avoid a spiral of violence that would be in no-one's interest, particularly at a time of instability in the region."

Israel's "Pillar of Defense'' operation, which it said was in response to an escalating barrage of rocket fire from Gaza, began with the targeted assassination of Hamas' top military commander Ahmed al Jaabar on Wednesday.

The resurgent conflict has confronted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with the biggest test yet of his commitments - to his fellow Islamists and to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

He is also under pressure to show Egyptians that his policies differ from those of his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, who came under fire from the Muslim Brotherhood, which brought Mr Morsi to power.

Mr Morsi has rejected what he has called Israel's aggression in Gaza, saying that it threatens to destabalise the nation.

As his PM planned his trip to Gaza, Czech President Vaclav Klaus called off a visit to Israel at the weekend.

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Anti-Austerity Protests Turn Violent In Spain

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 15 November 2012 | 14.59

A day of anti-austerity protests across Europe has ended in clashes between demonstrators and riot police in Madrid and Barcelona.

More than 140 people were arrested and dozens injured across the two cities, including two people who were said by police to be carrying material to make explosives.

After sporadic skirmishes through the day, the demonstrations continued into the night with fierce fighting breaking out at the tail end of rallies.

Police charged scores of protesters near the parliament building in Madrid after coming under a hail of broken bottles and stones.

Under attack near the capital's main railway station Atocha, police fired rubber bullets into the ground and air to disperse crowds. Rubbish bins were set alight and at least two shop windows were shattered.

At least one police vehicle was torched in Barcelona, and Spanish media showed images of a 13-year-old boy with his head bloodied from a beating by a riot police officer.

A protester throws stones at riot police officers at the end of a demonstration in Spain.

A protester throws a stone at police near the parliament building in Madrid

Protests also turned violent in Italy, where police used tear gas to disperse crowds.

In bailed-out Portugal, where the government intends to intensify austerity measures next year, the second general strike in eight months left commuters stranded as trains ground to a virtual halt and the Lisbon subway was shut down.

About 200 flights to and from Portugal were also cancelled, while hospitals provided only minimum services and rubbish bins were left uncollected.

Marches in 40 Portuguese cities were reportedly peaceful until nightfall when a small group of protesters threw rocks and bottles at police protecting the parliament building in Lisbon.

A police charge dispersed the protesters who fled the scene. At least five people were injured.

Airports across Europe - including Heathrow - were forced to cancel flights to and from striking nations.

Police clash with protesters in Malaga

In Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed, airlines including Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, Vueling, Air Europa and easyJet cut more than 600 flights including some 250 international routes.

Hospitals fully staffed emergency and surgery rooms, but non-essential care was scaled back.

The country is teetering on the brink of calling for a European bailout, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy trying to put off a rescue that could require even more EU-mandated budget cuts.

Economy Minister Luis de Guindos spoke of "a long crisis that has meant sacrifice and uncertainty," but added: "The government is convinced that the path we have taken is the only possible way out."

Union-led rallies were also called across France and in Poland, while high-speed Thalys rail services between Belgium and Germany were cancelled for the day.

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China Unveils Xi Jinping As New Leader

Who Is Xi Jinping?

Updated: 7:25am UK, Thursday 15 November 2012

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

He will lead the world's most populous nation of 1.3 billion people for the next 10 years and could be at the helm when China becomes the world's largest economy but who is Xi Jinping? And why should you care anyway?

Mr Xi is a "princeling" - the son of one of the founding members of the Chinese Communists, Xi Zhongxun, a guerrilla commander who went on to form the party alongside Chairman Mao.

Mr Xi's father and Mao fell out. Xi Senior was tortured and placed in jail for several years.

During the Cultural Revolution - when millions of Chinese died under Mao's leadership - the Xi family were sent to live in communes as peasants along with so many others.

In recent and rare interviews Xi Jingping talks about this difficult time in his life which he refers to as a "struggle" which helped develop him into a stronger man.

Mr Xi and those around him now represent the first generation of leaders to experience first-hand the struggle of being a child through the Cultural Revolution. Many speculate that this could mould his leadership, especially in terms of how he deals with the widening gap between rich and poor in China.

After the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, Mr Xi moved back to Beijing to continue his education. He was educated into Communist Party and quickly rose through the ranks, first in Hebei Province and then in Fujian Province.

In 2000 he was made governor of Fujian Province followed by acting governor of Zhejiang in 2002. He built economies in those two provinces which have become larger than both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

He has a daughter who studies at Harvard and a wife who is more famous than he is.

Peng Liyuan is a folk singer, fluent in English and a Major-General in the People's Liberation Army. She is, by all accounts, a beautiful woman - her name even means "beautious beauty".

Ms Peng will be far more of an American-style first lady when compared with her elderly and reclusive predecessor, Hu Jintao's wife.

In public, Mr Xi also contrasts with his stiff and formal predecessor. He is a charismatic and a relaxed public speaker.

He is well travelled too, having lived in the United States for a short time as a young man. In recent years, in preparation for his rise to the very top, he's been to a number of Western capitals.

Mr Xi's inner thoughts, aspirations for his country's direction and attitude towards the West are not widely known.

A comment he made on a 2010 visit to Mexico is often used as an example of his true colours.

"Foreigners with full bellies, and nothing better to do than point fingers at China. China does not export revolution, or famine, or poverty or mess around with other countries. So what else is there to say," he said.

But his first speech to the media on Thursday as leader was more conciliatory.

"Just as China needs to learn more about the world, so does the world need to learn more about China," he said.

However, despite all that, walk down any street in Beijing and you'll find the Chinese know very little about their new leader. And in the West it would not be an embarrassment to admit to not having ever heard of the man.

The reason for this is simple. China operates what can be called a black-box system of government. It is a system closed to its subjects. It is extremely hard to see how it operates and who is pulling the levers.

The Communist Party runs or contributes to almost every facet of life in China. Its 80 million or so members make it the largest political party in the world. And yet China is so large, they represent just 6% of the country's population.

It is that 6% who have some say over who in community rises up each of the thousands of different party organisations.

With a pyramid effect fewer and fewer people endorse those who will sit above them - and that is why very few people know who Mr Xi is, what he is like, what he stands for and in what direction he will take the world's most populous nation.

Reform is the buzzword for China's next 10 years. Many had believed that following the country's economic reforms in the 1990s, political and social reform would come under Mr Hu and Mr Wen. It didn't happen.

China is now at a crossroads. Past Chinese leaders have lifted the country economically beyond all expectations; it is now the world's second wealthiest country.

But its economic explosion coupled with a downturn in exports to the West has produced a long list of explosive problems.

The wealth gap is wider than ever. Corruption is rife. The cities are the most polluted in the world. Factory production is slowing. Now mix all that in with an increasingly restive population which is more technologically connected and geographically mobile than ever: this is the China Xi Jinping must lead.

He has never really revealed whether he is just a moderniser or a genuine reformer. The direction he chooses will determine China's fate.

And remember, China's fate matters to the West.

China has holdings of more than $1trn (£631bn) of US debt. It is buying up Western companies and increasingly Western companies are investing in China.

If further reform comes, think of the opportunities which could help lift the West out of economic crisis.

But if China crashes, it could bring the rest of us down with it.

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Gaza Rocket Attack Kills Three Israelis

Three Israelis have been killed after a rocket fired from Gaza hit a building in the south of the country, according to police.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the rocket struck an apartment building.

World leaders have urged Israel to show restraint after prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to "expand" military operations in the Gaza Strip following its assassination of a Hamas leader.

US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon both telephoned Mr Netanyahu ahead of an urgent UN Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation.

According to the White House, Mr Obama reiterated US support for Israel's right to self-defence against rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip but urged Israel to avoid civilian casualties in the Palestinian territory.

They agreed that Hamas must stop the attacks, which have seen more than 120 rockets fired into Israel over the last five days, in order to allow tensions to ease.

Head of Hamas' military wing Ahmed al Jaabari was killed

Mr Ban told the Israeli PM of his expectation that "Israeli reactions are measured so as not to provoke a new cycle of bloodshed," the UN said.

He also expressed his concerns about "an alarming escalation of indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel".

So far, at least seven people, including the head of Hamas' military wing, Ahmed al Jaabari have been killed in more than 50 airstrikes - codenamed Operation Pillar Of Defence. Two young children were also among the dead.

The Israeli military said it was ready, if necessary, to send ground troops into Gaza, according to its official Twitter account. It has also been authorised to call up army reserve units.

In a televised address, Mr Netanyahu said: "If it becomes necessary, we are prepared to expand the operation.

"We will not tolerate a situation in which Israeli citizens are threatened by rocket fire."

Defence Minister Ehud Barak, appearing with the prime minister, said: "We are at the beginning of the event, and not the end."

An Israeli man stands next to a car damaged by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants

A car destroyed by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants

Palestinian militants said the airstrikes had opened "the gates of hell" for the Jewish state.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said another 55 rockets had been fired at Israel in the aftermath of the airstrike that killed Mr Jaabari.

Gaza's Hamas government welcomed the decision of Egypt, one of only two Arab countries to have a peace treaty with Israel, to pull out its envoy and urged Arab leaders to take "decisive action".

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said: "The occupation committed a dangerous crime and crossed all the red lines, which is considered a declaration of war."

The emergency Security Council meeting came at the request of Egypt, Morocco and the Palestinians.

"Once again the international community is witness to Israel's malicious onslaught, using the most lethal military means and illegal measures against the defenceless Palestinian civilian population," the Palestinian Authority's UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, told the Council.

"A direct firm message must be sent to Israel to cease immediately its military campaign against the Palestinian people and to abide ... by its obligations under international law."

Speaking to reporters, Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor urged the international community to condemn "indiscriminate rocket fire against Israeli citizens - children, women".

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Petraeus' Successor John Allen In Email Probe

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 14 November 2012 | 14.59

Petraeus Affair Scandal: Timeline

Updated: 9:33am UK, Tuesday 13 November 2012

The end of General David Petraeus' career has raised several questions about when the affair began and who knew about it. Here is a timeline of events according to officials involved in the investigation.

:: Spring 2006 Paula Broadwell meets Gen Petraeus at Harvard University, where she is a graduate student. Petraeus is a lieutenant general working on a manual about counterinsurgency and is invited to give a speech about his experiences in Iraq.

:: January 2007 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the commanding general of US troops in Iraq.

:: 2008 Ms Broadwell begins to study his leadership, and he invites her on a run with him and his team along Washington's Potomac River.

:: October 2008 Petraeus is named commander of US Central Command, based at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, where Jill Kelley and her husband attend social events alongside the area's military elite.

:: June 2010 Gen Petraeus is confirmed as the new commander of the war in Afghanistan and Ms Broadwell expands her research to become an authorised biography, making multiple trips to the country and getting unprecedented access to Gen Petraeus and his staff.

:: September 2011 He is sworn in as CIA director with his wife, Holly, by his side. Mr Broadwell keeps in contact and is invited to his office for events, including a meeting with Angelina Jolie. In November of that year, the pair begin an extramarital affair, according to retired Army Colonel Steve Boylan.

:: January 2012 Ms Broadwell's biography is released and she tells her local paper, the Bismark Tribune, that he is an inspirational figure.

:: May 2012 Ms Kelley, a socialite, starts to receive harassing emails and an FBI probe begins. They later determine the email trail leads to Ms Broadwell. Emails between Gen Petraeus and Ms Broadwell suggest an affair.

:: July 2012 The affair ends, according to Col Boylan, a friend of Gen Petraeus. The FBI has concluded there was no security breach, but continues to look at whether Gen Petraeus had any involvement in emails sent to Ms Kelley.

:: October 2012 By the end of the month, Ms Broadwell and Gen Petraeus have acknowledged the affair following questioning by the FBI. He is urged to resign by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

:: November 8 Gen Petraeus asks Barack Obama if he can resign, on the day the president returns from election celebrations in Chicago. Mr Obama accepts the resignation a day later.

:: November 9 Ms Broadwell's husband emails guests to cancel her 40th birthday party, scheduled for that weekend.

:: November 10 Ms Broadwell's biography of Gen Petraeus jumps to 111th place on Amazon, up from 76,792nd the day before as her identity becomes known.

:: November 12 Members of Congress demand to know more details about the sequence of events and FBI agents begin searching the North Carolina home of Ms Broadwell.

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CCTV Captures Terrifying Brazil Plane Crash

A security camera has captured the dramatic moment a light aircraft overshot a runway and crashed to the ground close to a major road in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The corporate jet was landing at Congonhas Airport on Sunday when it overshot its designated runway, slid down an embankment, "bounced" on a retaining wall and crashed to the ground in a cloud of smoke.

Brazilian media reports claimed the pilot of the Cessna 525B Citation aircraft suffered serious injuries in the crash, but two passengers were largely unhurt.

The aircraft allegedly failed to brake after touching down on the runway at the airport before smashing to the ground with its engines still operating.

All three people on board were able to escape the wreckage as fire crews doused the aircraft.

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Anti-Austerity Strikes Set To Grip Europe

A wave of anti-austerity anger is set to sweep across Europe with general strikes planned in Spain and Portugal and walkouts in Greece and Italy - grounding flights, closing schools and shutting down transport.

Tens of thousands of workers are expected to take part in the dozens of coordinated protests in a so-called European Day of Action and Solidarity against spending cuts and tax hikes.

In Spain - the fourth-biggest eurozone economy - activists and unions will be staging an evening rally outside the parliament in the capital Madrid.

Airlines operating in the country including Iberia, Iberia Express, Air Nostrum, Vueling, Air Europa and easyJet cut more than 600 flights including some 250 international routes.

A protest by public workers in Lisbon last month

Hospitals in Spain will fully staff emergency and surgery rooms but non-essential care will be scaled back.

Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed, is now teetering on the brink of calling for a European bailout, with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy trying to put off a rescue that could require even more EU-mandated budget cuts.

Protests are also being called in 40 towns and cities across bailed-out Portugal, including Lisbon and Porto.

Portuguese airline TAP said it was grounding more than 160 flights, most of them international.

Greece, struggling to satisfy international lenders that it has cut spending sufficiently to qualify for bailout funds and to avoid default, has called a three-hour walkout and a rally in Athens.

Italian unions, too, are seeking a four-hour work stoppage.

The European Trade Union Confederation said it was the first time that it had appealed for a day of action that includes simultaneous strike action in four countries.

A rally in front of the parliament in Athens, earlier this month

"By sowing austerity, we are reaping recession, rising poverty and social anxiety," its general secretary Bernadette Segol said in an online statement.

"In some countries, people's exasperation is reaching a peak. We need urgent solutions to get the economy back on track, not stifle it with austerity. Europe's leaders are wrong not to listen to the anger of the people who are taking to the streets."

Union-led rallies are also being called across France and in Poland, while high-speed Thalys rail services between Belgium and Germany have been cancelled for the day.

Just 20% of Spain's long-distance trains and a third of its commuter trains are expected to run, while Lisbon's Metro will be shut completely with only 10% of rail services in action.

Tensions have been rising in Spain since last Friday when a woman jumped from her apartment to her death as bailiffs tried to evict her from her home in the country's second apparent suicide linked to evictions.

On Monday, the country's largest banks agreed to halt repossessions for the most vulnerable for two years.

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Syria: Opposition Form Coalition Against Assad

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 13 November 2012 | 14.59

Syria's divided opposition groups have struck a deal to form a new umbrella organisation which they hope will defeat President Bashar al Assad.

After four days of wrangling in Qatar, representatives of groups including rebel fighters, veteran dissidents and ethnic and religious minorities agreed to form the coalition supported by Western and Arab backers.

Muslim cleric Ahmed Moaz al Khatib, 52, a Damascus moderate who left Syria three months ago, was elected president of the coalition, with prominent dissident Riad Seif and female opposition figure Suhair al Atassi chosen as his deputies.

Mr Seif, who championed the US-backed reform proposals on which the agreement was based, said the group had signed a 12-point agreement to establish the coalition.

In a document seen by journalists, the parties have agreed "to work for the fall of the regime and of all its symbols and pillars", and ruled out any dialogue with Mr Assad's government.

They agreed to unify the fighting forces under a supreme military council and to set up a national judicial commission for rebel-held areas.

A provisional government would be formed after the coalition "gains international recognition", and a transitional government after the regime has fallen.

It remains to be seen whether the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces can overcome four decades of rule by President Assad's family.

But for those allies who see the coalition emulating Libya's Transitional National Council, the deal has been welcomed.

A rebel fighter prepares to fire an RPG in Aleppo

The new coalition is aiming to break a stalemate Syria's civil war

"We will strive from now on to have this new body recognised completely by all parties ... as the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim of Qatar, a supporter of the rebels.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu said there was "no excuse any more" for foreign governments not to support an opposition whose internal divisions had given many pause.

France, a vocal backer of the rebels and which once ruled Syria, hailed the deal.

"France will work with its partners to secure international recognition of this new entity as the representative of the aspirations of the Syrian people," said foreign minister Laurent Fabius.

The US had also strongly promoted the plan for the Doha meeting to unite the various factions.

Meanwhile, Israel has fired warning shots into Syria after mortar fire from fighting in the civil war-hit nation hit the UN-monitored ceasefire line between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights.

It was the first time Israel has been drawn into the unrest in the neighbouring country, and was the first Israeli fire directed at the Syrian military since the 1973 war.

It came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet that Israel was "ready for any development" and as his defence minister warned a "tougher response" would follow.

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Australia: Warning As Bushfire Destroys Homes

Around 150 firefighters have been battling a bushfire in South Australia, which has destroyed at least seven homes.

The large blaze at Tulka tore through about 5,000 acres of scrubland and residents were evacuated from their homes.

The fire burned within containment lines but was yet to be brought under control.

Fire service spokesman Malim Watts said despite a change in the wind, Tulka, seven miles south of Port Lincoln, still faced a serious fire threat.

"When this fire started it took off at incredible speed. Very dangerous conditions, catastrophic conditions in fact which basically means that for that community it's a day of survival," said Mr Watts.

It was unclear what sparked the fire but it quickly gathered force due to the hot weather.

A koala is given water by a driver amid a blaze

A similar number of firefighters also battled a blaze at Humbug Scrub, north east of Adelaide, he added.

There was a lucky escape there for a koala, which was spotted by a driver and given water.

"He had a bit of a drink of water. Yeah, but he's but he's not looking too well really," the man said.

A number of other fires were also being tackled in the state.

Officials are warning of a long and difficult summer ahead for firefighters, as South Australia and most other states are anticipating hot and dry weather ahead.

"We've had a lot of rainfall, a lot of growth, a lot of vegetation and we're expecting a very busy fire season as a consequence of that," a fire official said.

Southeastern Australia was last devastated by bushfires in February 2009, when a horrific blaze swept through Victoria state, killing 173 people and destroying more than 2,000 homes.

It was Australia's worst natural disaster in modern times.

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Petraeus: FBI Agents Search Home Of Mistress

FBI agents have been searching the North Carolina home of the woman whose affair with David Petraeus led to his resignation as director of the CIA.

A spokesman for the bureau confirmed agents went to Paula Broadwell's home in Charlotte on Monday night.

But Shelley Lynch declined to say what the agents were doing there.

Witnesses described seeing agents carrying cardboard boxes often used for gathering evidence during a search.

An agent carries an evidence box into the home

They walked through the open garage of the home and knocked on a side door before entering the building.

Retired General Petraeus resigned his CIA post last week after acknowledging an extra-marital affair.

Former staff members said he was shocked to learn last summer that Ms Broadwell was suspected of sending threatening emails to another woman warning her to stay away from him.

Federal law enforcement officials said Jill Kelley began receiving harassing emails in May. She reported the emails, which then triggered an investigation that led to Gen Petraeus' resignation.

FBI agents traced the alleged cyber harassment to Ms Broadwell, officials added, and discovered she was exchanging intimate messages with a private account. That account was found to belong to Gen Petraeus under an alias.

Gen Petraeus, 60, told a former associate he began an affair with Ms Broadwell, 40, a couple of months after be became CIA director. They ended the relationship four months ago.

The FBI has said sensitive, possibly classified, documents relating to Afghanistan have been found on her computer.

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Greece Approves 2013 Austerity Budget

Written By Unknown on Senin, 12 November 2012 | 14.59

Greek MPs have approved the country's 2013 austerity budget - which involves fresh spending cuts.

The budget was passed by a 167-128 vote in the 300-member parliament.

It came days after a separate bill of deep spending cuts and tax hikes for the next two years squeezed through with a narrow majority following severe disagreements among the three parties in the governing coalition.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras pledged that the spending cuts would be the last Greeks have to endure.

"Just four days ago, we voted the most sweeping reforms ever in Greece," he said.

"The sacrifices (in the earlier bill and the budget) will be the last. Provided, of course, we implement all we have legislated.

"Greece has done what it was asked to do and now is the time for the creditors to make good on their commitments."

Athens says that with the passage of the two bills, the next loan instalment, worth 31.5bn euros, should be disbursed. Without it, the government has said it will run out of cash on Friday, when 5bn euros worth of treasury bills mature.

Finance ministers from the 17-nation eurozone are meeting in Brussels later today, with Greece high on the agenda.

However, German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has indicated it is unlikely that the ministers will decide on the disbursement at that meeting.

"We all ... want to help Greece, but we won't be put under pressure," Mr Schaeuble told the newspaper Welt Am Sonntag.

Mr Schaeuble said the so-called troika of debt inspectors would probably not deliver their report on Greece's reform programme by Monday. The creditors also want to see what the debt inspectors have to say about Greece's debt sustainability.

But speaking minutes before the vote, the prime minister pledged the bailout funds would be disbursed "on time".

Finance minister Yannis Stournaras also stressed the precariousness of Greece's cash reserves, with the treasury bills due on Friday.

"Without the help of the European Central Bank, the refunding of these treasury bills from the banking system will lead the private sector to complete suffocation," Mr Stournaras said.

Disbursement of the next instalment is essential "because the state's available funds are marginal, although better than expected because the 2012 budget is being executed better than expected," he said.

He added that the funds are needed to pay salaries and pensions, as well as for the import of medicines, fuel and food.

Greece is mired in a deep recession heading into its sixth year, with more than a quarter of Greeks unemployed.

Battered by a mountain of debt and a gaping budget deficit, Greece has been relying on international bailout loans from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund since May 2010.