timesofmalta.com

Video - Soldier hacked to death in London terror attack

Press Association — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:24:00 +0200

Two suspected terrorists "brutally murdered" a soldier in broad daylight in London this afternoon, prompting a major emergency response from the British Government. One of the men behind the attack in Woolwich, south east London, was filmed wielding a bloodied meat cleaver and saying, "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you", in footage shown on ITV News. One Whitehall source said the attackers, who are now being treated in hospital after being shot by police, were heard to shout "Allah Akbar" during the assault. British Prime Minister David Cameron is cutting short his participation in an EU summit to return to the capital Witnesses said the victim, who a local MP said was a soldier, was hacked to death, with some suggesting his attackers tried to behead him. Unconfirmed reports said they also filmed the attack. Home Secretary Theresa May said: "I have been briefed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the Director General of the Security Service. "It has been confirmed to me that a man has been brutally murdered this afternoon in south-east London. Two other men were shot by armed police and they are currently receiving treatment for their injuries. "I...

FBI kills Florida man with suspected ties to Boston bomb suspect

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:11:00 +0200

An FBI agent shot and killed a Florida man with suspected links to the Boston Marathon bombings early today, NBC News reported. NBC said the suspect was being questioned and was originally cooperative, but was fatally shot after attacking the agent. The Orlando Sentinel said a friend had identified the dead man as 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev of Orlando. The newspaper quoted the friend, Khusn Taramiv, as saying Todashev was being investigated as part of the Boston bombings and knew bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev because both were mixed martial-arts fighters. Reuters could not immediately reach the FBI for comment. FBI spokesman Dave Couvertier told the Sentinel that "the agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties," but did not confirm the dead man's identify nor any link to the Boston bombings. Tsarnaev, 26, died in a gunfight with police. His brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was found hiding in a boat in Watertown, Massachusetts, four days after the April 15 blasts, which killed three people and injured 264 others at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was shot in the throat before his capture and is being held in a prison hospital...

Stockholm riots spread to districts

PA — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:35:00 +0200

Gangs of youths have smashed shop windows, set cars ablaze and burnt down a cultural centre as riots that started in one Stockholm suburb after a fatal police shooting spread to other low-income areas of the Swedish capital. Police said seven people were briefly detained and one person was arrested on suspicion of arson of a cultural centre housed in a 19th century building. A spokesman said 30 vehicles were set on fire in six suburbs where mainly immigrants live. Gangs of up to 60 youths also set fire to a school and a nursery and hurled rocks at police and fire fighters. The unrest began on Sunday in response to the May 13 shooting, in which police killed a 69-year-old, knife-wielding man in a north-western suburb.

Ukraine PM bars reporters from government meetings after protest

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:44:00 +0200

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov ordered a dozen local reporters to be barred from covering government meetings after they staged a silent protest on Wednesday over physical attacks on journalists at a rally. "What kind of show is this?" Azarov said when reporters who were attending a cabinet meeting stepped in front of television cameras, turning their backs on Azarov and his colleagues. Signs pinned to their backs read: "Today it's a female journalist (beaten up), tomorrow - your wife, sister, daughter. Do something!" The reporters were members of a journalists' pool that is allowed to attend weekly meetings at government headquarters. Azarov said they should be kicked out of it. "Write down their names and revoke their accreditation," he said to his aides. "We respect journalists' work but please do not turn government meetings into a circus." The reporters were protesting over attacks on two local journalists that took place when supporters and opponents of President Viktor Yanukovich clashed briefly during rallies in Kiev on Saturday. The journalists attacked say they were beaten by Yanukovich's supporters. Police are investigating the allegations but opposition...

Sweden's capital hit by worst riots in years

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:38:00 +0200

Hundreds of youths have set fire to cars and attacked police and rescue services in poor immigrant suburbs in three nights of rioting in Stockholm, Sweden's worst disorder in years. On Tuesday night, a police station in the Jakobsberg area in the northwest of the city was attacked, two schools were damaged and an arts and crafts centre was set ablaze, despite a call for calm from Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. The riots in one of Europe's richest capitals have shocked a country that prides itself on a reputation for social justice, and fuelled a debate about how Sweden is coping with both youth unemployment and an influx of immigrants. "We've had around 30 cars set on fire last night, fires that we connect to youth gangs and criminals," Kjell Lindgren, spokesman for Stockholm police, said on Wednesday. He said eight people had been arrested on Tuesday night, but there were no reports of injuries. The riots appear to have been sparked by the police killing of a 69-year-old man wielding a machete in the suburb of Husby this month, which prompted accusations of police brutality. "Everyone must pitch in to restore calm - parents, adults," Reinfeldt told reporters on Tuesday. After...

Millions falling into poverty in recession-racked Italy - report

Reuters — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:11:00 +0200

Millions of Italians cannot afford to heat their homes properly or eat meat as their country is racked by recession and soaring unemployment, according to a report which found the number of people considered seriously deprived had doubled in the past two years. The findings from national statistics institute ISTAT underline the scale of the challenge faced by the new coalition government of Enrico Letta, which has vowed to stimulate growth and tackle a youth jobless rate of almost 40 percent. A recession that has lasted almost two years has taken a heavy toll on ordinary Italians who are increasingly digging into their savings, ISTAT said in its annual report. Italy has the highest level in Europe of young people who are neither in education nor employment, at 23.9 percent, the study showed. In Italy's impoverished south, one in three people aged 15-29 fell into this group. The number of people living in families considered to be seriously deprived has doubled in the past two years to 8.6 million, or about 14 percent of the population, ISTAT said. Families who meet more than four of nine poverty indicators are considered seriously deprived. These include not being able to heat...

Microsoft unveils Xbox One

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:44:00 +0200

Microsoft has unveiled its next generation video games console, the Xbox One. At an event at its US headquarters in Redmond, Washington, which was streamed around the world, the electronics giant said the new voice and motion-controlled device was an "all-in-one system" for games, live television, films and music. Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft, yesterday told the audience and millions of people over the internet: "Today we put you at the centre of a new generation in the living room - where your games look and feel like nothing else, where your TV becomes more intelligent, where all of your entertainment comes alive in one place. "Team Xbox is on a new mission - design and build an all-in-one system to light up a new generation of games, TV and entertainment." The sleek black console, with a new Kinect camera sensor and game pad, is the successor to the hugely successful Xbox 360 which sold a reported 77 million consoles around the world. The new machine, which will be released later this year, sees Microsoft add a blu-ray drive to its console and the use of video calling service Skype. An upgraded Kinect camera allows the device to...

Survivors pulled from Oklahoma tornado debris

Wed, 22 May 2013 00:08:00 +0200

Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials lowered the death toll from the storm to 24, including nine children. The two-mile (three-km) wide tornado tore through Moore outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, trapping victims beneath the rubble, wiping out entire neighbourhoods and tossing vehicles about as if they were toys. Seven of the nine children who were killed died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit, but many more survived unhurt. “They literally were lifting walls up and kids were coming out,” Oklahoma State Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said. “They pulled kids out from under cinder blocks without a scratch on them.” The Oklahoma state medical examiner’s office said 24 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, down from the 51 they had reported earlier. The earlier number likely reflected some double-counted deaths, said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer for the medical examiner. “There was a lot of chaos,” she said. Thunderstorms and lightning slowed the rescue effort on Tuesday, but 101 people had been pulled from the...

Syria and Israel exchange fire

Reuters — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:07:00 +0200

Syria said its troops destroyed an Israeli vehicle that crossed into its territory from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights yesterday and warned that any attempt to violate its sovereignty would meet “immediate and firm retaliation”. Israel said the incident took place on its side of the Golan ceasefire line, that the vehicle was damaged but not destroyed, none of its soldiers were hurt and they returned fire. The clash highlighted the potential for renewed conflict along a frontline that has become increasingly fraught after nearly four decades of calm overseen by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father. It also followed Israeli airstrikes near Damascus against suspected missile stockpiles two weeks ago, after which Syria threatened to retaliate. Assad is battling a two-year-old uprising in which rebel forces, including radical Islamists, have taken swathes of rural territory and attacked army posts near the Golan frontier. There are frequent reports of cross-border gunfire from Syria during clashes between army and rebel forces but yesterday’s incident was the first time since the start of the crisis that Syria’s armed forces said they targeted Israel’s military. “Our...

EU unveils cap on bankers’ bonuses

Reuters — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:06:00 +0200

EU regulators confirmed yesterday that they will cap bonuses of bankers earning more than €500,000 a year and added other conditions to make the pay ceiling harder to smash. The headline figure was leaked last Friday, triggering warnings by banks in the European Union that they may lose staff to other parts of the world, and that London, the bloc’s top financial centre, could be damaged. Accounting firm PwC predicted that the number of London bankers affected will be 10 times the number hit by current pay curbs. The European Banking Authority (EBA) said the purpose of the draft rules, out for public consultation until August 21, is to have a common definition for national regulators within the EU to decide which bankers will come within the pay curb net. The EBA is fleshing out a new EU law that includes the bonus cap, which lawmakers say is needed to crack down on excessive risk-taking at banks. The cap will hit bonuses awarded for 2014 and due to be handed out in early 2015. The EU already applies a tougher version of bank pay limits agreed by world leaders during the financial crisis and the cap will be the toughest curb of its kind in the world. Based on data from 23 banks,...

Did the Pope perform a Vatican exorcism?

PA — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:05:00 +0200

Religious observers are asking: “Is Pope Francis an exorcist?” after an incident in St Peter’s Square. The Pope laid his hands on the head of a young man after celebrating Mass. The man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, convulsed and shook, and then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him. The television station of the Italian bishops’ conference said it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed that Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil. The Vatican was more cautious, saying Francis “didn’t intend to perform any exorcism”. “But as he often does for the sick or suffering, he simply intended to pray for someone.” Fuelling the speculation is Francis’ obsession with the devil, a frequent subject of his homilies. There has been an apparent surge in demand for exorcisms among the faithful despite the irreverent treatment the rite often receives from Hollywood. Who can forget the green vomit and the spinning head of the possessed girl in the 1973 cult classic The Exorcist? In his very first homily as pope on March 14, Francis warned cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel the day after he was elected that “he who doesn’t pray to the Lord...

Suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral

PA — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:04:00 +0200

A man has shot himself dead at the altar of Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday, forcing police to evacuate tourists from the 850-year-old monument. It was the first suicide in decades at the landmark site, rector Monsignor Patrick Jacquin said. “It’s unfortunate, it’s dramatic, it’s shocking,” he said. The victim was named as Dominique Venner, a 78-year-old award-winning far-right historian. Police officers closed the cathedral to the public and were investigating. It is highly unusual for the cathedral, visited by 13 million people from around the world every year, to be evacuated. Police, the Paris prosecutor and church employees gathered inside the cathedral, while puzzled tourists crowded outside on the island in the Seine River where the cathedral has stood since the 12th century. This year Notre Dame got new bells as part of celebrations marking 850 years since construction on the cathedral began. The death comes less than a week after another unusual suicide in central Paris, when a man shot himself in front of a dozen schoolchildren at a private Catholic school. Mgr Jacquin said a few people had committed suicide by jumping from Notre Dame’s twin towers, but he did not know of...

Doors co-founder Manzarek dies

Eric Kelsey, Reuters — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:03:00 +0200

Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at a medical clinic in Germany, aged 74, following a battle with cancer, the group’s manager Tom Vitorino said. Manzarek, who lived in Northern California’s Napa Valley wine country for the past decade, had been seeking treatment in Germany for bile duct cancer, Vitorino said. He died in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his wife and brothers. Singer Jim Morrison and then-UCLA film student Manzarek formed The Doors in 1965 after a chance meeting at Los Angeles’ Venice Beach, and Manzarek’s keyboard work would go on to be a touchstone of hits like Break on Through to the Other Side and Light My Fire. The band, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, sold some 100 million records since its heyday with psychedelic-era classics such as 1971’s Riders on the Storm. Manzarek’s electric organ was a defining aspect next to Morrison’s booming voice in the band’s blues- and jazz-influenced take on rock and roll. The Doors broke up shortly after Morrison’s death from heart failure in 1971, but their mythology exploded following the 1980 publication of the biography No One Here...

London signposts up for sale

PA — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:02:00 +0200

Some of London’s most recognisable street signs, including those which have stood in Downing Street and Abbey Road, will be auctioned off today. A handful of distinctive black aluminium finger signs which have directed tourists to world- famous landmarks in the capital will also go under the hammer. A sealed bid auction is being held by Summers Place Auctions in Billinghurst, West Sussex, for hundreds more signs featuring famous London street names. Estimates range from £20 to more than £1,000 for each of the 362 signs, which include those which point to Madame Tussauds, the Royal Academy of Arts and the London Aquarium. The sell-off comes as Westminster City Council and Transport for London upgrade all of their signposting in the capital as part of a campaign called Legible London to make directions more user-friendly. Robert Davis, deputy leader of the Tory-run council, said: “London is home to some of the most famous street signs in the world and buyers now have the chance to acquire a genuine piece of the capital’s history.” The sale of the signposts, which were installed during the 1990s, has been described by auctioneers as an “absolute one-off”. James Rylands, director of...

World briefs

Reuters — Wed, 22 May 2013 00:01:00 +0200

A man climbed onto a ledge on the dome of St Peter's Basilica on Monday and unfurled a banner protesting against a “political horror show”, an apparent reference to Italy's embattled coalition struggling with recession and high unemployment. Identified by police as Marcello Di Finizio, the man unfurled a white banner reading “Stop this massacre! The political horror show is continuing,” in English, scrawled in black and red ink, with “Help us Pope Francis” in Italian. He also waved an Italian flag as he balanced precariously above a small window near the top of the 137-metre dome. Italy is stuck in its longest recession since quarterly records began in 1970, and jobless rates are close to record highs. Monkey belongs to Germany A monkey that belonged to popstar Justin Bieber has become German national property after the singer failed to provide authorities with the documents needed to reclaim the pet seized by customs officials. Bieber had until Friday to hand in the necessary paperwork, which included health and species protection certificates, after “Mally” his capuchin monkey was confiscated at Munich airport in March while the singer was on tour. But Judith Brettmeister,...

Did the Pope perform an exorcism?

Press Association — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:36:00 +0200

Religious observers are asking: "Is Pope Francis an exorcist?" after an incident in St Peter's Square. The Pope laid his hands on the head of a young man after celebrating Mass. The man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, convulsed and shook, and then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him. The television station of the Italian bishops' conference said it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed that Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil. The Vatican was more cautious, saying Francis "didn't intend to perform any exorcism. But as he often does for the sick or suffering, he simply intended to pray for someone." Fuelling the speculation is Francis' frequent reference to the devil in his homilies. There has been an apparent surge in demand for exorcisms among the faithful despite the irreverent treatment the rite often receives from Hollywood. In his very first homily as Pope on March 14, Francis warned cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel the day after he was elected that "he who doesn't pray to the Lord prays to the devil." He has since mentioned the devil on a handful of occasions, most recently in a May 4 homily when in his...

Survivors pulled from Oklahoma tornado debris as toll lowered

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:14:00 +0200

Emergency workers have pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials sharply lowered the number of deaths caused by the storm. The 3-km-wide tornado tore through Moore outside Oklahoma City yesterday afternoon, trapping victims beneath the rubble. Seven children died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit, but many more survived unhurt. "They literally were lifting walls up and kids were coming out," Oklahoma State Police Sergeant Jeremy Lewis said. "They pulled kids out from under cinder blocks without a scratch on them." The Oklahoma state medical examiner's office said 24 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, down from the 51 they had reported earlier. The earlier number likely reflected some double-counted deaths, said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer for the medical examiner. "There was a lot of chaos," she said. Thunderstorms and lightning slowed the rescue effort on Tuesday, but 101 people had been pulled from the debris alive, Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokeswoman Betsy Randolph said. Firefighters from more than a dozen fire departments and...

Blast at explosives factory kills 13

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:28:00 +0200

The death toll from a blast at an explosives factory in eastern China has risen to 13, with 19 injured and 10 still missing, state media reported. The blast occurred on Monday at a plant belonging to the Baoli Minbai Jinan Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Zhangqiu City of eastern Shandong province, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. Footage from official broadcaster CCTV showed rescuers with sniffer dogs and excavators digging through the debris in search of survivors. China has had a dire industrial safety record despite long-standing efforts by the ruling Communist Party to improve workplace conditions for more than 150 million migrant workers. Factors including rising wage and material costs have eroded margins and pressured many factory owners to skimp on workplace safety.

20 children among 51 dead in Oklahoma tornado - death toll expected to rise to 91

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:27:00 +0200

A 3km-wide tornado which tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore has killed at least 51 people while destroying entire tracts of homes, piling cars atop one another, and trapping two dozen school children beneath rubble. Twenty of the 51 confirmed deaths were children, the Oklahoma medical examiner said, and at least 45 of the 230 people injured were children, according to area hospitals. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since one killed 161 people in Joplin, Missouri, two years ago. The official death toll is expected to rise to 91 the Oklahoma medical examiner's office said, as the office has not yet received 40 bodies that had been retrieved from the rubble in Moore. President Barack Obama declared a major disaster area in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts. Rescue teams raced against the setting sun and worked into the darkness in search of survivors throughout the wide swath of devastation, while the dangerous storm system threatened several southern Plains states with more twisters. Severe weather was expected through the night from the Great Lakes south to Texas. Emergency crews searched the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School...