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Tunisia elections 2014: Beji Caid Essebsi claims poll win while Moncef Marzouki refuses to admit defeat

Diane A. Wade
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Tunisia elections 2014: Beji Caid Essebsi claims poll win while Moncef Marzouki refuses to admit defeat

Tunisian candidate Moncef Marzouki has refused to admit defeat in the country’s first free presidential election after exit polls suggested Beji Caid Essebsi had won.

The caretaker president, a former exile, said his rival’s declaration of victory was “undemocratic”.

Beji Caid Essebsi, 88, has been celebrating with supporters, telling them all Tunisians now need to “work together”, and promising to bring stability.

Critics say his success marks the return of a discredited establishment.

Official results are not expected until Monday evening. One exit poll gave Beji Caid Essebsi 55.5%, with several others showing similar figures.

The election marks the last stage of Tunisia’s move to democracy, after the 2011 overthrow of President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali.

It is the first time Tunisians have been able vote freely for their president since independence from France in 1956.

Moncef Marzouki, a 67-year-old human rights activist forced into exile by the Ben Ali government, said the election was too early to call.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

“The announcement of victory is undemocratic and we should wait if we want to be a state that respects the rule of law,” he told supporters.

“What I want to tell you is that we are victorious, we are victorious , we are victorious. Tunisia has won and you have won. You have won for Tunisia, for democracy and for human rights.”

Moncef Marzouki has been interim president since 2011 and is more popular in the conservative, poorer south.

He was thought likely to attract support from the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, which has played a key role in Tunisian politics since the Arab Spring but did not field a candidate.

Beji Caid Essebsi appeared on television after polls closed on Sunday, saying: “I dedicate my victory to the martyrs of Tunisia.”

“I thank Marzouki, and now we should work together without excluding anyone,” he added.

Supporters danced and let off fireworks outside the headquarters of Beji Caid Essebsi’s secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes party.

Beji Caid Essebsi held office under both deposed President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali and Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, Habib Bourguiba.

He led in the first round of voting last month with 39% of the vote. Moncef Marzouki polled 33%.

He is popular in the wealthy, coastal regions, and based his appeal to voters on stability and experience.

Whoever wins faces restricted powers under a constitution passed earlier this year.

The president will be commander-in-chief of the armed forces but can appoint or sack senior officers only in consultation with the prime minister.

The president will also set foreign policy in consultation with the prime minister, represent the state and ratify treaties.

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Ismaaiyl Brinsley: New York shooter boasted to onlookers

Nancy Clayson
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Ismaaiyl Brinsley: New York shooter boasted to onlookers

Ismaaiyl Brinsley, the man who shot dead two NYPD officers, told members of the public “watch what I’m going to do” shortly before the attack, police say.

Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley, 28, had a history of violence and mental instability.

Candlelit vigils have been held in New York in memory of the two officers, Liu Wenjin and Raphael Ramos.

Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot officers as they sat in their patrol car in Brooklyn before running into a nearby subway station and reportedly shooting himself.

He had posted messages on social media saying he would kill police officers in retaliation for the death of Eric Garner, a black man who died when white police officers arrested him.

The Rev Al Sharpton, a prominent civil rights activist, said Eric Garner’s family had no connection to the gunman and called the killings “reprehensible”.New York shooter Ismaaiyl Brinsley

Community leaders have called for peace and the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, has ordered flags across the city to be flown at half-mast.

Ismaaiyl Brinsley had been arrested at least 19 times and had a troubled childhood so violent that his mother was afraid of him, police said.

In online postings, he expressed “self-despair and anger at himself and where his life was”, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

Before the shootings, Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot and wounded a former girlfriend.

The killings come at a tense time, with nationwide protests over the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers.

The attacks have also put pressure on the New York mayor.

Officers turned their back on him at a news conference, angry at what they saw as his support for protests against the police.

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Dijon: Islamist driver injures 11 pedestrians

Diane A. Wade
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Dijon: Islamist driver injures 11 pedestrians

Eleven pedestrians have been injured in Dijon, France, after being targeted by a driver shouting the Islamic phrase “God is great” in Arabic.

Two of the victims are in serious condition, French media say.

The driver was arrested after targeting pedestrians in five different parts of the city in the space of half an hour.

He is said to be “apparently imbalanced” and to have spent time in a psychiatric hospital.

French police shot dead a man on December 20 after he attacked them with a knife, also shouting “God is great”.

The lives of the two people seriously injured in Dijon are not said to be in danger.Dijon Ilsamist driver injured 11 pedestrians

Witnesses told police the driver, aged around 40, had also said he was “acting for the children of Palestine”, an unnamed source close to the investigation told AFP news agency.

A spokesman for the interior ministry told French TV he believed the attacker had been acting alone.

The driver has been known to police for minor incidents dating back 20 years, he added.

France’s PM Manuel Valls tweeted to express his “solidarity” with the victims.

In Saturday’s incident, a man injured three police officers in the city of Tours before being shot dead.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told French TV the man had been “very unstable”.

Anti-terrorism investigators have opened an inquiry into the attack.

France has the largest number of Muslims in western Europe – estimated at between five and six million.

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James Holmes: Parents make plea for Aurora gunman’s life

Nancy Clayson
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James Holmes: Parents make plea for Aurora gunman’s life

The parents of James Holmes, the man charged with killing 12 people in the 2012 Aurora theatre massacre, have pleaded he be spared the death penalty.

Robert and Arlene Holmes wrote a letter to the Denver Post, saying their son is “not a monster”.

They instead argue James Holmes suffers from severe mental illness.

The suspect has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to killing 12 and injuring 70 in the 2012 attack at a movie theatre outside Denver.

“We have spent every moment for more than two years thinking about those who were injured, and the families and friends of the deceased who were killed,” the couple wrote.

They say James Holmes should be treated for mental illness at an institution for the remainder of his life, thus preventing any harm to him or others and avoiding the trauma of a public trial.

“We do not know how many victims of the theatre shooting would like to see our son killed,” they add.James Holmes Aurora shooting

“But we are aware of people’s sentiments.”

The letter is the first statement from the couple regarding their son since immediately after the attack. They have not disclosed details of James Holmes’ mental condition.

James Holmes is charged in connection with a mass shooting – one of the worst in American history – at a midnight screening of a Batman film in Aurora.

At the time of the shooting, James Holmes was a graduate student in neuroscience at the University of Colorado in Denver, but was withdrawing from his studies after failing a key exam.

Prosecutors have argued James Holmes methodically planned the shooting for months, amassing weapons and elaborately booby-trapping his apartment to kill anyone who tried to enter.

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Craig Ferguson hosts his last edition of The Late Late Show

Sonia Pantiss
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Craig Ferguson hosts his last edition of The Late Late Show

Craig Ferguson has hosted his last edition of The Late Late Show after a run of ten years.

The Scots-born comedian insisted that he was not retiring, saying: “I’m not stopping doing it, I’m stopping doing this.”

Craig Ferguson’s role will be filled by James Corden, 36, from March 23.

His final guest was Jay Leno, who bowed out of hosting The Tonight Show earlier this year.Craig Ferguson The Late Late Show final edition

Craig Ferguson and Jay Leno spoke about the pitfalls of presenting chat shows, while Leno said that it was “fun being a comedian again instead of a talk show host”.

The 52-year-old presenter, who fronted the late night show on CBS for 2,058 episodes, is expected to present a new early evening program.

However, Craig Ferguson remained tight-lipped about the precise nature of his future plans during his final appearance.

James Corden, known for presenting the Brit Awards and starring in sitcom Gavin and Stacey, was confirmed as the new Late Late Show presenter in September and made an appearance on the program on December 17.

The actor said he was “hugely excited” to host the program and would do his best “to make a show that America will enjoy”.

James Corden’s profile in the US was boosted in 2012 when he won a Tony for his role in the Broadway transfer of stage hit One Man, Two Guvnors.

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The Interview: North Korea to go back on US terror list after Sony attack

Sonia Pantiss
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The Interview: North Korea to go back on US terror list after Sony attack

The US is considering putting North Korea back on its list of terrorism sponsors after the hacking of Sony Pictures, President Barack Obama has announced.

A decision would be taken after a review, Barack Obama said, calling the attack an act of cyber-vandalism, not of war.

North Korea denies the attack over The Interview movie, which depicts the fictional killing of its leader Kim Jong-un.

Sony canceled The Interview Christmas Day release after threats to cinemas. It is considering “a different platform”.

In a CNN interview, Barack Obama described the hacking as a “very costly, very expensive” example of cyber-vandalism.

He said US officials would examine all the evidence to determine whether North Korea should be put back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism.The Interview North Korea movie

“I’ll wait to review what the finding are,” Barack Obama said, adding that he did not think the attack “was an act of war”.

North Korea had been on the US list for two decades until the White House removed it in 2008, after Pyongyang agreed to full verification of its nuclear sites.

On December 20, the US also asked China to curb North Korea’s cyber-attacks.

So far there has been no response from Beijing – North Korea’s main ally. North Korea’s communications run through China.

The US National Security spokesman Mark Stroh said: “We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack.”

“If the North Korean government wants to help, they can admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages this attack caused,” he said.

The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un. The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.

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Elton John and David Furnish wedding: Couple get married in Windsor ceremony

Lisa.Felice
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Elton John and David Furnish wedding: Couple get married in Windsor ceremony

Elton John married his long-term partner David Furnish in a ceremony at Windsor estate in Berkshire, the UK.

A number of stars attended the ceremony. Among them were David and Victoria Beckham, Ed Sheeran and David Walliams.

David Furnish and Elton John, who have two sons together, became civil partners in 2005.

The couple’s sons Zachary, who was born in 2010, and Elijah, born last year attended the ceremony.

One image – showing the newlyweds holding hands, with Elijah standing between them – bears the caption: “Zachary grabs David’s iPhone and takes a photo of his brother while we exchange our vows.”

Elton John has been including the hashtag #ShareTheLove on his Instagram posts on December 21.

Photo Instagram Elton John
Photo Instagram Elton John

Friends of the couple have also been using the tag, with the Beckhams’ eldest son Brooklyn writing: “Amazing day with family and special friends congratulations Uncle Elton and Uncle David #ShareTheLove.”

The teenager posted a photograph of the wedding lunch menu, which included wild mushroom soup with truffle cream, beef short rib and caramelized onion pie and warm chocolate pudding with ice cream. Guests were served Laurent-Perrier champagne.

Elton John has posted a number of pictures on Instagram, where he has thousands of followers, including a picture taken at a window showing a garden, with the caption: “Good morning! Nice day for a wedding.”

He later wrote: “The tables look stunning! We had red roses at our Civil Partnership 9 years ago and they brought us so much luck.”

On December 21, 2005, Elton John and David Furnish held a civil partnership ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall.

In March, the law was changed in England and Wales to allow same-gender marriage.

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Winter Solstice 2014: December 21 is the shortest day of the year in northern hemisphere

James J. Williams
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Winter Solstice 2014: December 21 is the shortest day of the year in northern hemisphere

December 21 is the shortest day of 2014 in the northern hemisphere.

The moment is marked at 22:03 GMT by an astronomical phenomenon known as the winter solstice – the moment the North Pole is tilted furthest from the sun as the Earth continues on its orbit.Winter Solstice 2014

The solstice doesn’t always occur on December 21. Sometimes it nudges into the early hours of December 22, which will happen again in 2015.

The hour of day also varies. Last year’s arrived at 17:11. In 2015 will be at 04:38.

Tunisia elections 2014: Presidential run-off winner to be country’s first freely elected leader

Diane A. Wade
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Tunisia elections 2014: Presidential run-off winner to be country’s first freely elected leader

Tunisia is choosing its first freely elected president in a run-off election seen as a landmark in the country’s move to democracy.

Secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes party’s candidate Beji Caid Essebsi, who won the first round with 39% of the vote, is challenging interim leader Moncef Marzouki.

Tunisia was the first country to depose its leader in the Arab Spring and inspired other uprisings in the region.

Beji Caid Essebsi, who turned 88 this week, held office under both deposed President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali and Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, Habib Bourguiba.

He is popular in the wealthy, coastal regions, and has based his appeal to voters on stability and experience.Tunisia elections 2014

Beji Caid Essebsi’s opponent, Moncef Marzouki, is a 67-year-old human rights activists forced into exile by the Ben Ali government.

He has been interim president since 2011 and is more popular in the conservative, poorer south.

Moncef Marzouki is likely to attract support from the Islamist Ennahda party, which has paid a key role in Tunisian politics since the Arab Spring but has not fielded a candidate.

Whoever wins faces restricted powers under a constitution passed earlier this year.

The president will be commander-in-chief of the armed forces but can appoint or sack senior officers only in consultation with the prime minister.

The president will also set foreign policy in consultation with the prime minister, represent the state and ratify treaties.

Tunisia has boosted security for the elections and closed border posts with Libya, which has been plagued by unrest.

In the build-up to the vote, a video emerged of Islamic State militants claiming responsibility for the 2013 killings of two Tunisian politicians.

The men in the video also condemned the election and threatened more killings.

About 5.2 million Tunisians are eligible to vote in the run-off poll. At least 88,000 observers are overseeing the election, according to Tunisian state media.

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The Interview: US insists North Korea is behind Sony attack

Sonia Pantiss
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The Interview: US insists North Korea is behind Sony attack

The US insists to reject North Korea’s claim that it was not responsible for Sony Pictures cyber-attack.

North Korea strongly denies carrying out the attack and invited the US to take part in a joint investigation.

A senior US security official said North Korea should instead “admit culpability and compensate Sony”.

North Korea strongly objects to Sony Pictures’ satirical film, The Interview, which portrays the fictional killing of Kim Jong-Un.

After the attack and threats, Sony cancelled the Christmas Day release of The Interview.

Responding to anonymous threats against cinemas, Sony Pictures Entertainment said it was considering releasing it “on a different platform”.The Interview Sony attack

The FBI said on December 19 that North Korea had carried out last month’s cyber-attack, in which script details and private emails were leaked.

The US defended its findings on December 20, with US National Security spokesman Mark Stroh saying: “We are confident the North Korean government is responsible for this destructive attack.”

“If the North Korean government wants to help, they can admit their culpability and compensate Sony for the damages this attack caused,” he said.

On December 20, the North Korean foreign ministry said: “As the United States is spreading groundless allegations and slandering us, we propose a joint investigation with it into this incident.”

“We have means to prove that this incident has nothing to do with us.”

The statement said there would be “grave consequences” if the Americans rejected their inquiry proposal.

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Muhammad Ali hospitalized with pneumonia

Clyde K. Valle
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Muhammad Ali hospitalized with pneumonia

Muhammad Ali has been hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia, his spokesman says.

The 72-year-old former three-time heavyweight champion boxer, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, is in a stable condition, Bob Gunnell told media.

“The prognosis is good,” Bob Gunnell added, saying Muhammad Ali’s stay in hospital was likely to be brief.

He gave no other details and asked that the privacy of Muhammad Ali’s family be respected.Muhammad Ali pneumonia

Muhammad Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1984, three years after his retirement from boxing.

The boxing legend appeared in public at a ceremony in September in his hometown of Louisville for the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards.

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Mersane Warria: Cairns mother charged with 8 murders

Nancy Clayson
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Mersane Warria: Cairns mother charged with 8 murders

Mersane Warria have been charged with the murder of seven of her children and her niece in the Australian city of Cairns.

Mersane Warria, 37, was charged while in hospital where she is being treated under guard for self-inflicted knife wounds, police say.

Post-mortem examinations are being carried out to determine the exact cause of the eight victims’ deaths.

The four boys and four girls were aged between 18 months and 14 years.

Police found a number of weapons at the scene, including knives, which are being examined.Cairns murders Australia

Officers said they were looking at various possibilities for the deaths, including suffocation.

The bodies were reportedly discovered by the mother’s 20-year-old son arriving at the home on December 19.

Police have dismissed reports the family had been investigated by social services saying it was “not a problem house”.

Memorials have sprung up outside the home in the Manoora district of Cairns.

A church service was held on Sunday morning to remember the children.

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Brooklyn shooting: Two NYPD officers shot dead inside patrol car

Nancy Clayson
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Brooklyn shooting: Two NYPD officers shot dead inside patrol car

An armed opened fire and shot dead two police officers sitting inside a patrol car in New York City before killing himself.

Two New York City police officers have died after being shot inside a patrol car Saturday afternoon, according to police. Authorities say the gunman then killed himself.

The shooting took place in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Both officers were rushed to Woodhull hospital, where one was pronounced dead, police said. The second officer was later pronounced dead at the hospital.Brooklyn shooting 2014

Police say the suspect fatally shot himself inside a subway station. His motive wasn’t immediately clear.

The shooting comes at a tense time. Police in New York are being criticized for their tactics following the chokehold death of Eric Garner, who was stopped by police on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

Demonstrators around the country have staged die-ins and other protests since a grand jury decided December 3 not to indict the officer in Eric Garner’s death, a decision that closely followed a Missouri grand jury’s refusal to indict a white officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old.

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Ebola 2014: Liberia holds postponed elections

Diane A. Wade
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Ebola 2014: Liberia holds postponed elections

Liberia is voting in an election that was postponed in October because of the Ebola outbreak.

Liberians are choosing representatives to the country’s senate.

Among the 139 candidates vying for 15 seats are former football star George Weah and Robert Sirleaf, the son of Liberia’s president.

Ebola has infected about 19,000 people in West Africa, killing more than 7,373 – with 3,346 deaths in Liberia, according to the latest UN figures.

The senate elections were postponed in October in a bid to stop campaigners and voters spreading the virus.

The election is being held just days after neighboring Sierra Leone clamped down on public gatherings.

It has banned Sunday trading, restricted travel between districts and prohibited public celebrations over Christmas and the New Year.

One of Sierra Leone’s top doctors, Victor Willoughby, died from Ebola on Thursday, just hours after the arrival of experimental drug ZMab which could have been used to treat him.

Healthcare workers are among those most at risk of catching Ebola which is spread by bodily fluids and requires close contact with victims.Liberia elections 2014

In November, Liberia’s election commission chairman, Jerome Korkoya, urged candidates and supporters to follow public health regulations in the run-up to the senate elections.

“For instance, the transportation of large groups of electorates by candidates clustered in vehicles and the congregation of huge number of people will be regulated,” he said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was in Liberia on Friday at the start of a two-day visit to countries affected by Ebola in West Africa. He continued on to Guinea on Saturday.

After stepping off the plane, he washed his hands and had his temperature taken – two important practices to help stop the spread of the disease.

Ban Ki-moon urged people to follow strict health regulations until the epidemic was over.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf lifted a state of emergency last month that was imposed in August to control the outbreak.

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Raul Castro: Cuba will stay on communist path, despite thaw with US

Diane A. Wade
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Raul Castro: Cuba will stay on communist path, despite thaw with US

Cuba’s President Raul Castro has stressed that Havana will not change its political system after recent US move to normalize bilateral relations.

Raul Castro also warned that Cuba faced a “long and difficult struggle” before the US removed its economic embargo.

On December 17, President Barack Obama announced a “new chapter” in US ties with communist-run Cuba.

He said the changes were the “most significant” in US policy towards Cuba in 50 years.

US-Cuba relations have remained frozen since the early 1960s, when the US broke off diplomatic relations and imposed a trade embargo after Cuba’s revolution.

Speaking in the National Assembly in Havana, President Raul Castro said this week’s announcement by Barack Obama removed an “obstacle” in bilateral relations.Raul Castro Cuba US ties

Raul Castro, the brother of former leader Fidel Castro, said he was open to discussing a wide range of issues with Washington, but stressed that Cuba would not give up its socialist principles.

“In the same way that we have never demanded that the United States change its political system, we will demand respect for ours.”

Raul Castro added that Cuba had to go through a “long and difficult struggle” before the decades-old US economic embargo would be lifted.

Announcing the normalization of diplomatic and economic ties, President Barack Obama said Washington’s approach towards Cuba was “outdated”.

As part of the deal, US contractor Alan Gross and an unnamed intelligence officer loyal to the US were released from Cuban prison in return for three Cubans held in the US.

Barack Obama also said he wanted to reopen a US embassy in Havana in the coming months.

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Afghan detainees released from Guantanamo Bay prison

Roy Siemens
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Afghan detainees released from Guantanamo Bay prison

Four Afghan inmates have been released from the Guantanamo Bay prison and sent back to their home country, the Pentagon announces.

Shawali Khan, Khi Ali Gul, Abdul Ghani and Mohammed Zahir were repatriated after a thorough review of their cases.

Eight Afghans are believed to be among the 132 detainees remaining at the US prison in Cuba.

President Barack Obama has pledged to close the facility, opened in 2002 to hold “enemy combatants” in what the US termed its war on terror.

“As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, these men were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force,” a Pentagon statement said on December 20.

The four Afghans were flown to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul aboard a US military plane and handed over to the local authorities, a US official was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.Afghan detainees released from Guantanamo Bay prison

The Pentagon provided no further details.

The repatriation is the latest in a series of transfers from the Guantanamo Bay, as President Barack Obama seeks to eventually shut the facility.

Earlier this month, six prisoners were flown to Uruguay, which said they would enjoy complete freedom in the South American nation.

About half of the remaining detainees at the Guantanamo Bay have been cleared for transfer – but have nowhere to go because their countries of origin are unstable or unsafe.

The Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba was opened in 2002, a year after the 9/11 attacks in the US.

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SXSW organizers sued by car crash victims’ families

Sonia Pantiss
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SXSW organizers sued by car crash victims’ families

The organizers of South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, are being sued by the families of the victims of a fatal crash at this year’s festival.

The lawsuits accuse them of serious safety lapses, AP reported.

Rashad Charjuan Owens has been in jail on murder charges since March after four people died when his car broke through a barrier at the music, film and interactive festival.

The crash, which happened outside the Mohawk venue, also injured 23 people.

Among several wrongful deaths lawsuits was one from the family of Steven Craenmehr, a Dutch music executive, who was knocked off his bike.

His widow and mother claim that SXSW organizers didn’t put enough traffic safeguards on the roads for pedestrians during the event, which sees thousands of bands performing at venues across Austin.

“A festival organizer or traffic design consultant of ordinary intelligence would have anticipated the danger,” the lawsuit says.

Lawyers for SXSW released a statement which read: “What happened on Red River was a terrible tragedy, caused by Rashad Owen’s utter disregard of human life.

“Our hearts continue to ache for those injured and the families of those who lost their lives.

“We look forward to his prosecution for his awful crimes.” SXSW 2014 car crash

Authorities say that Rashad Charjuan Owens drove his grey Honda Civic through a barricade after an officer on a drink-drive patrol tried stopping the car.

According to police, his blood alcohol level was .114, above Texas’ legal driving limit of .08.

In September, a SXSW safety report found that alcohol consumption and overcrowded venues during the event had left Austin facing a “critical point where public safety could be compromised” if changes are not made.

Organizers called the report incomplete and said it failed to address root issues.

SXSW is known as one of the world’s best platforms for rising music talent.

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The Interview: Sony seeks different channels to release North Korea movie

Sonia Pantiss
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The Interview: Sony seeks different channels to release North Korea movie

Sony Pictures Entertainment is looking at different channels to release The Interview after scrapping its opening following a cyber-attack blamed on North Korea.

The studio said it had only canceled the film’s Christmas Day release after cinemas pulled out.

Sony said it was considering releasing it “on a different platform”.

President Barack Obama called the cancelation “a mistake”.

North Korea denied involvement and has now urged a joint inquiry with the US.

The FBI said on December 19 that the Pyongyang government was responsible.

The Interview depicts the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Responding to the president’s comments, Sony Pictures chief executive and chairman Michael Lynton said the studio had not made an error in canceling the release.The Interview North Korea

“We have not given in, we have persevered,” he told CNN.

A Sony statement said the decision had been based on “the majority of the nation’s theatre owners choosing not to screen the film”.

“Without theatres, we could not release it in the theatres on Christmas Day. We had no choice,” the statement added.

“It is still our hope that anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so.”

Script details, salary data and private email correspondence were leaked in the wake of November’s huge cyber attack.

Hackers then issued a warning referring to the 9/11 terror attacks, saying “the world will be full of fear” if The Interview was screened.

North Korea earlier this month denied allegations that it was responsible for the hack. An article in the state-run KCNA news agency, quoting the country’s top military body, called the suggestions “wild rumor”.

The Interview features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un.

The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him.

The Interview‘s canceled release drew criticism in Hollywood, with some calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.

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The Interview: North Korea offers to hold joint inquiry with US into Sony cyber-attack

Sonia Pantiss
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The Interview: North Korea offers to hold joint inquiry with US into Sony cyber-attack

North Korea wants to hold a joint inquiry with the US into a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures after it strongly denied US claims that it is behind it.

The North Korean foreign ministry accused the US government of “spreading groundless allegations” and said a probe would refute the allegations.

The attack and subsequent threats against cinemas led Sony to cancel the release of The Interview, a satire including the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The film had been due to open on Christmas Day.

However, Sony Pictures said it was considering releasing it “on a different platform”.

The FBI said on December 19 that the Pyongyang government was responsible.

On December 20, the North Korean foreign ministry said: “As the United States is spreading groundless allegations and slandering us, we propose a joint investigation with it into this incident.”North Korea Sony attack

“Without resorting to such tortures as were used by the US CIA, we have means to prove that this incident has nothing to do with us.”

Yesterday, President Barack Obama criticized the film’s cancelation, saying he wished Sony executives had spoken to him before cancelling the release.

“We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship,” he said, vowing to “respond” to the cyber-attack in a “manner that we choose”.

Responding to the president’s comments, Sony Pictures chief executive and chairman Michael Lynton said the studio had not made an error in canceling the release.

“We have not given in, we have persevered,” he told CNN.

A Sony statement said the decision had been based on “the majority of the nation’s theatre owners choosing not to screen the film”.

“Without theatres, we could not release it in the theatres on Christmas Day. We had no choice,” the statement added.

“It is still our hope that anyone who wants to see this movie will get the opportunity to do so.”

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Barack Obama blocks export of goods, technology and services to Crimea

Diane A. Wade
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Barack Obama blocks export of goods, technology and services to Crimea

President Barack Obama has signed an executive order banning the export of goods, technology and services to Crimea.

The executive order also imposes new sanctions on certain Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies.

The West has imposed various sanctions on Russia since it annexed Crimea after the removal of Ukraine’s pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych in February.

Barack Obama said his latest decision was to show that the US would not accept Russia’s annexation.

The annexation was followed in April by pro-Russian separatists taking control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine and declaring independence.

Some 4,700 people have died and another million have been displaced by fighting since then, the UN says.

On December 19, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting – the highest death toll since the latest attempt at a ceasefire began on 9 December.

Barack Obama said in a statement: “The executive order is intended to provide clarity to US corporations doing business in the region and reaffirm that the United States will not accept Russia’s occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea.”

Photo AP
Photo AP

In addition to the goods, technology and services ban, US individuals or companies cannot now buy any real estate or businesses in Crimea or fund Crimean firms.

The new measures also include sanctions on 24 Ukrainian and Russian individuals and on a number of companies deemed to be destabilizing Ukraine.

They include the Russian equity investment group, Marshall Capital Partners, and the Night Wolves biker group, over its involvement in Crimean military action.

Meanwhile, the EU imposed its own new sanctions against the Crimea region.

Like the EU, Barack Obama said he would not yet impose new sanctions on Russia, urging it again to de-escalate the tension in eastern Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that “threatening new sanctions against Russia could undermine the possibility of normal cooperation between our countries for a long time”.

Barack Obama said: “I again call on Russia to end its occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, cease its support to separatists in eastern Ukraine, and fulfill its commitments under the Minsk agreement.”

The agreement signed by Ukraine and the rebels in Minsk, in Belarus, in September, put in place a ceasefire and set out the terms for a peace process.

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Michael Phelps sentenced to one-year suspended prison for DUI

Clyde K. Valle
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Michael Phelps sentenced to one-year suspended prison for DUI

Michael Phelps has been given a one-year suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to DUI.

The 29-year-old swimmer is the most decorated Olympian of all-time.

The 18-time Olympic gold medalist was also sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation.

During that time Michael Phelps must totally abstain from drinking alcohol.

Michael Phelps tested at nearly twice the legal alcohol limit when he was arrested in Baltimore in September.

He was initially stopped for speeding after being caught going at 84mph in a 45mph zone.Michael Phelps DUI

The swimmer said he had also spent time at the Meadows addiction treatment centre in Arizona.

“During my 45-day program, I was able to find out a lot about myself that I never knew,” Michael Phelps told reporters.

“I’m looking at a much brighter future than I have had in the past,” he added.

Michael Phelps retired after winning his 22nd Olympic medal at the London Games in 2012 but came out of retirement earlier this year.

He was given a six-month ban from swimming after his arrest in September, but continues to train.

Michael Phelps, who is from Baltimore County, was previously charged for DUI in Maryland in 2004. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in exchange for 18 months’ probation.

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Cairns children’s mother arrested on suspicion of murder

Nancy Clayson
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Cairns children’s mother arrested on suspicion of murder

The mother of 7 of 8 Australian children stabbed to death in a home in Cairns has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

The 37-year-old mother was lucid and talking to investigators, police said. She has not been charged.

The woman was found at the property, suffering stab wounds, alongside the bodies of the eight children.

They were aged 18 months to 15 years. Police have not said how they died. The eighth child was her niece.

Confirming the arrest, Cairns Detective Inspector Bruno Asnicar said: “The 37-year-old mother of several of the children involved in this incident has been arrested for murder overnight and is currently under police guard at the Cairns Base Hospital.”Cairns children mother arrested

“At this stage we’re not looking for anybody else – we’re comfortable that the community at large is safe,” he added.

A coroner is due to conduct autopsies on the children to determine the cause of death.

Police found a number of weapons at the scene which are being examined as part of investigations.

The woman’s name has not been released. Her age was first given as 34 but has since been corrected to 37.

A candlelight vigil and church service was held on Friday evening for the children.

Australia’s PM Tony Abbott said in a statement it was an “unspeakable crime”.

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Fethullah Gulen: Turkish court issues arrest warrant for exiled cleric

Diane A. Wade
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Fethullah Gulen: Turkish court issues arrest warrant for exiled cleric

An arrest warrant has been issued by a Turkish court for the influential exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the US, is accused of establishing and running an “armed terrorist group”.

He was once an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but has now been accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government – a claim the cleric strongly denies.

The US is thought to be unlikely to act on any extradition request.

The move comes amid a national crackdown on perceived supporters of the cleric.

Over 20 journalists working for media outlets thought to be sympathetic to the Gulen movement were arrested last weekend.Fethullah Gulen arrest warrant issued in Turkey

Eight of them were freed on December 19 on the orders of a court in Istanbul. Those released include Ekrem Dumanli, editor-in-chief of Zaman newspaper.

Four others, including a TV station boss, remain in custody.

While the US and Turkey have an extradition agreement, the warrant is considered to be largely symbolic – and unlikely to be acted upon.

The relationship between Washington and Ankara has grown fractious, though they remain allies.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced criticism from international leaders and his opponents, who accuse him of authoritarianism and undermining free press.

Many abroad believe that the charges against Fethullah Gulen are politically motivated.

The wealthy cleric, who operates an international network of schools and businesses, has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.

According to media reports, the prosecutor filing the arrest warrant accused Fethullah Gulen of leading an armed terrorist group – a charge that carries up to 15 years in prison.

The Interview: Barack Obama confirms North Korea cyber attack on Sony Pictures

Sonia Pantiss
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The Interview: Barack Obama confirms North Korea cyber attack on Sony Pictures

President Barack Obama has promised a strong response after North Korea’s alleged cyber-attack on Sony Pictures.

The president also said the studio “made a mistake” in refusing to release The Interview, a controversial satire depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

On December 19 US authorities linked North Korea to the hack, which saw sensitive studio information publicly released.

Sony withdrew The Interview following continued threats.

“We will respond,” Barack Obama told reporters on December 19, declining to offer specifics.

“We will respond proportionately and in a space, time and manner that we choose.”

He added: “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship in the United States.”

Barack Obama said it was important to protect both public and private cyber-systems from attack which could have significant economic and social impacts.

He also noted he believed Sony Pictures was mistaken in failing to go ahead with the release.

“Americans cannot change their patterns of behavior due to the possibility of a terrorist attack,” he said.Barack Obama confirms North Korea attack on Sony

“That’s not who we are, that’s not what America is about.”

Earlier on Friday, FBI officially tied North Korea to the cyber-attack, linking the country to malware used in the incident.

Sony cancelled the holiday release of The Interview after national theatre chains refused to show it.

Hackers had earlier issued a warning referring to the 9/11 terror attacks, saying “the world will be full of fear” if the film was screened.

The movie features James Franco and Seth Rogen as two journalists who are granted an audience with Kim Jong-un.

The CIA then enlists the pair to assassinate him. The film was due to have been released over Christmas.

The film’s canceled release drew criticism in Hollywood, with some calling it an attack on the freedom of expression.

In November, a cyber-attack crippled computers at Sony and led to upcoming films and workers’ personal data being leaked online.

The hackers also released salary details and social security numbers for thousands of Sony employees – including celebrities.

North Korea earlier this month denied involvement in the hack – but praised the attack itself as a “righteous deed”.

However, the communist country warned the US that “there are a great number of supporters and sympathizers” of North Korea “all over the world” who may have carried out the attack.

In the article, Sony Pictures was accused of “abetting a terrorist act” and “hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership” of North Korea by producing the movie.

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FIFA to release Michael Garcia’s World Cup corruption report

Clyde K. Valle
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FIFA to release Michael Garcia’s World Cup corruption report

World football’s governing body, Federation Internationale de Fooball Association (FIFA), agreed to publish a “legally appropriate version” of a report into allegations of World Cup bidding corruption.

However, FIFA insisted Russia and Qatar will stay as hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments respectively.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he asked the executive committee to vote in favor of publishing the report.

“We have always been determined the truth should be known,” he said.

“That is, after all, why we set up an independent ethics committee with an investigatory chamber that has all necessary means to undertake investigations on its own initiative.”

Only a disputed summary of Michael Garcia’s 430-page report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has so far been published.

Releasing the full report, which is likely be heavily redacted to preserve witness confidentiality, is a change in FIFA policy.

However, it will only be published once ongoing investigations into five individuals are completed.

“We need to ensure that we respect the rules of our organization and that we do not breach confidentiality in a way that will prevent people from speaking out in the future,” added Sepp Blatter.

The 78-year-old Swiss, seeking a fifth term as president, insisted later that there was no reason for Russia and Qatar to lose their rights to stage future World Cups.

“At the current time, there is no reason to go back on our decisions,” he told a news conference, speaking in German.

“The two World Cups are in the calendar, the only thing missing is the precise dates for 2022, but these two World Cups will take place.”

Addressing Qatar specifically, Sepp Blatter added that only an “earthquake” could change FIFA’s decision to hold the 2022 tournament in the Gulf state.

“It would really need an earthquake, extremely important new elements to go back on this World Cup in Qatar,” he said.

The Ameican lawyer, Michael Garcia, was appointed FIFA’s independent ethics investigator in 2012 and spent two years investigating all nine bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups following claims of corruption and collusion.

Michael Garcia travelled the world speaking to bid officials and appealing for evidence of wrongdoing.

He eventually submitted a report to FIFA in September 2014.

FIFA subsequently released a 42-page summary that cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption.

However, Michael Garcia was unhappy with it, claiming it was “incomplete and erroneous”.

Earlier this week, Michael Garcia resigned, citing “lack of leadership” at FIFA.

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