Friday, August 17, 2012

seenewstoday.com : Top News updates

Europeans express outrage over Pussy Riot verdict - Reuters
By Justyna Pawlak | BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European governments voiced sharp criticism of Russia on Friday over jail sentences handed down to three members of the punk band Pussy Riot, the EU foreign policy chief saying they added to a recent rise in …


Ferdinand fined £45,000 over 'choc ice' tweet
Rio FerdinandManchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was fined £45,000 ($70,000, 57,000 euros) by the Football Association on Friday for improper conduct over comments he made on Twitter relating to the John Terry racism trial.


Glencore seen sticking to its guns on Xstrata for now
LONDON (Reuters) – Trader Glencore , weeks from a key shareholder vote on its bid for miner Xstrata, is set to stick to its $30 billion offer next week when it reports first-half profits dented by falling prices – dashing hopes of an improved offer for now. Analysts and sources familiar with the deal say Glencore has little incentive to sweeten its bid to before disclosing the performance of its marketing arm and industrial operations. The resources sector has had a torrid period with miners reporting their first profit falls since 2009. …


France's Fabius says Syrian regime should be 'smashed fast'
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius greets a Syrian refugee during a visit to the Oncupinar refugee campFrench Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called Friday for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime to be "smashed fast" as he visited Turkey's largest refugee camp near the border.


Aleppo's residents, trapped and hunted
Civilians run past a Free Syrian Army checkpoint in the Saif al-Dawla neighbourhood of AleppoNight has fallen on the Saif al-Dawla district in Aleppo. A man takes out the rubbish after the iftar meal breaking the Ramadan fast, an old woman unpegs the laundry from her line and quickly shutters her balcony.


Guantanamo plea deal prisoner said to have a cat
A former Maryland resident who is detained at Guantanamo Bay seems to have acquired a cat at the isolated prison on a U.S. base in Cuba, a fellow prisoner says in a letter released Friday.


In UK threat on Ecuador, experts see mistake
A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange holds up a placard outside the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London, London, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2012. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange entered the embassy in June in an attempt to gain political asylum to prevent him from being extradited to Sweden, where he faces allegations of sex crimes, which he denies. WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador on Thursday, setting up a standoff with the British government, which has vowed to block his exit from the country. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)It was a warning meant to remind Ecuador that Britain's patience has limits. But as the stalemate over Julian Assange settled in Friday, it appeared London's veiled threat that it could storm Ecuador's embassy and drag Assange out has backfired -- drawing supporters to the mission where the WikiLeaks founder is holed up and prompting angry denunciations from Ecuador and elsewhere.


U.S. says infiltration not main cause of Afghan "insider" attacks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Only about 11 percent of so-called “insider attacks” by Afghans against NATO troops are due to Taliban infiltration, the Pentagon said on Friday, as more American troops were killed at the hands of Afghans posing as allies in the 11-year-old war. The vast majority of insider attacks this year — nearly 90 percent — are due to other motives, including personal grudges, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Steven Warren said, citing a new study by the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan. …


No war too 'hopeless' for Brahimi
Lakhdar Brahimi takes over as UN-Arab League envoy for SyriaSome might say that Lakhdar Brahimi is crazy to try to end the Syria conflict, but the veteran troubleshooter says he has never believed there is a war that is too "hopeless" to tackle.


Brahimi to become new Syria conflict envoy: UN
Lakhda BrahimiLakhdar Brahimi, a veteran Algerian diplomat, will take over from Kofi Annan as the international envoy on the Syria conflict, the United Nations said Friday.


Nigeria tightens security for Eid, US issues warning
Security guards check vehicules at the entrance of the Hilton hotel in AbujaNigeria tightened security and the United States warned of the risk of attacks Friday ahead of this weekend's Eid festivities, which mark the end of the Muslim month of fasting.


Hezbollah warns of living 'hell' for Israelis if attacked
Lebanese Shiite men raise their fists up as they listen to a speech via videolink by Hezbollah leader Hassan NasrallahLebanon's Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday that his Iranian-backed Shiite militia would make lives of Israelis "a living hell" if it is attacked.


Assange saga clouds freedom of speech agenda
A protestor holds a poster of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange outside Ecuador's embassy in LondonLONDON (Reuters) – Julian Assange's supporters outside the London embassy where he is confined say he is being persecuted for speaking truth to power, but free speech campaigners further afield say the WikiLeaks founder has lost his way and damaged the cause. The Australian has been seeking refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy for eight weeks to avoid extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape. …


Bomb blast wounds one, damages police station in Nigeria
A general view of the Nigerian city of JosA bomb blast in the volatile central Nigerian city of Jos has injured a civilian and damaged a police station as well as nearby houses, an army spokesman said on Friday.


Bulgaria says suicide bombing probe 'encouraging'
Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov speaks during an interview with AFPA month after the suicide bombing of an Israeli tourist bus in Bulgaria, investigators have made no major breakthroughs but progress has been encouraging, the country's interior minister told AFP Friday.


Mauritanian murders four children amid Eid stress
Palestinian women buy new clothes for their children ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holidayA Mauritanian man has slit the throats of his four children to avoid the expense of buying them new clothes for the upcoming Muslim holiday Eid-al-fitr, sources close to the family said Friday.


Free-speech advocates worldwide protest Russian punk band's sentence - Los Angeles Times
From Paris to Hollywood, free-speech advocates reacted with outrage Friday at the two-year prison sentences handed down by a Moscow court against the feminist punk-rock trio Pussy Riot for a protest stunt in a Moscow cathedral against Russian leader …


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