Saturday 30 April 2016

US Walks Thin Line with Russia Between Cooperating and Helping

WASHINGTON—

With the two-month old cessation of hostilities in Syria rapidly disintegrating, the United States is finding itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, trying to expand cooperation with Russia while not simultaneously playing into Russia’s hands.

The latest example of Washington’s quandary played out Friday as U.S. and Russian officials worked to reinforce cease-fires in Latakia and Eastern Ghourta, including talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“This is not something new but really a constant effort on our part, particularly with the Russians,” a senior State Department official said Friday, adding the status of the northern city of Aleppo was also a deep concern.

“We’re talking to Russia urgently about it in terms of de-escalation and reducing or diffusing tensions there," the official said. see more >> http://www.voanews.com/content/us-walks-thin-line-with-russia-between-cooperation-and-helping/3309634.html

Baghdad Fence: A security measure or a new barrier?

As war rages in Iraq to drive back the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL) from the large swaths of territories it has seized, the Shia-led government appears to be building a new order in Baghdad.

Last week, Iraqi military chiefs announced that the "Baghdad Fence", now being erected on the fringe of the capital, is to protect it from "criminal acts of the terrorists groups".

More immediately, the first phase of the "Baghdad Fence", which the army began building on February 1, is a 100km security barricade that includes a wall and a trench around the sprawling city.

As detailed by the Major General Abdel Amir al-Shimari, the commander of Baghdad Operations, a 3m-high blast wall and a 3x2m trench will be built along the full length of the barrier.

However, on Saturday Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, dismissed the plan to encircle Baghdad with a concrete wall. "Baghdad is the capital of all Iraqis," he said in a statement.

At first glance, a security plan to protect the city, which also includes guard towers and electronic surveillance equipment, looks realistic. Yet the idea of a fence separating the capital from the rest of the country seems nothing short of an admission of failure. see more >> http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/baghdad-fence-security-measure-barrier-160210063440720.html

Alcohol Fuels High Death Toll on South African Roads

JOHANNESBURG—

It’s a scene repeated in bars across South Africa every day and night: A man saunters into the establishment, tosses his car keys on the counter and starts drinking an alcoholic beverage.

He’s parked his car in a space nearby, and will be driving it within a few hours.

In South Africa, driving after consuming just two beers is illegal.

But, says Caro Smit of the non-profit South Africans against Drunk Driving, this isn’t deterring the nation’s millions of dedicated drunk drivers.

“South Africa unfortunately has a great culture of drinking and driving; they [citizens] seem to think it is their right. There is a culture of being proud of being so drunk or not remembering where you parked your car or how you got home,” she says. SEE MORE >> http://www.voanews.com/content/south-africa-drunk-driving/3305373.html

Iraq: Sadr supporters storm Baghdad's Green Zone

Hundreds of supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have stormed Baghdad's Green Zone and some entered the Iraqi parliament building after lawmakers failed to convene for a vote on overhauling the government.

The protesters, who had gathered outside the heavily fortified district housing government buildings and foreign embassies, crossed a bridge over the Tigris River on Saturday chanting, "The cowards ran away!" in apparent reference to lawmakers leaving parliament, a witnesses told Reuters.

Rioters rampaged through several parts of the parliament building while other protesters shouted "peacefully, peacefully" and tried to contain the destruction, AFP reported. see more >> http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/protesters-storm-baghdad-green-zone-parliament-160430120004964.html

The 5 people most likely to be Donald Trump’s vice president

Donald Trump's victories in a series of Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states over the past two weeks have made one thing clear: He is the clear favorite for the Republican presidential nomination. Which raises the question: Who is he going to pick as his vice presidential nominee? The short answer: No one knows. Trump relishes being unpredictable, so trying to game out how this most unconventional of politicians will make his mind up is a bit of a guessing game. Add to that the fact that Trump's inner circle remains, largely, devoid of establishment types, and you quickly get into a situation where the people talking don't know much and the people who do know aren't talking. Trump himself has been ...

Cristiano Ronaldo is running out of time as he tries to return from injury and face Manchester City next Tuesday. And he has done something you won't believe to recover. The Real Madrid superstar missed the last two matches, including the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, because of a hamstring injury suffered in the final minutes of a La Liga game two weeks ago. He was expected to face the Citizens, but wasn't fit enough even for the bench. Latest reports indicate that there is very little evolution on his recovery, and he is doubtful for the decisive encounter at Santiago Bernabéu. Ronaldo is apparently unhappy with Madrid's medical team's effort, and is consulting different people ...

JOHANNESBURG—

South Africa’s High Court ruled Friday that state prosecutors must revisit a decision in 2009 to drop nearly 800 corruption-related charges against President Jacob Zuma. The move cranks up the political heat on Zuma amid a barrage of other corruption scandals.

The High Court’s ruling could clear the way for President Jacob Zuma to again be charged with 783 counts of criminal offenses for alleged kickbacks in a 1999 state arms deal.

Friday's ruling has caused jubilation from the country’s opposition. see more >> http://www.voanews.com/content/south-africa-court-to-review-zuma-corruption-ruling/3308153.html

Aleppo onslaught: 'Everyone expects it to get worse'

The Syrian government has carried out more than a dozen fresh air strikes in Aleppo as the death toll from more than a week of escalating violence continues to soar, according to local sources.

The strikes hit residential neighbourhoods across the opposition-controlled eastern part of the city on Saturday morning, though no immediate information about the number of deaths and injuries was available.

Is Syria's army gearing up for all-out Aleppo assault?

"As I'm talking to you, we can hear air strikes," Zouhir Al Shimale, a local journalist, told Al Jazeera by telephone, adding that Saturday morning's strikes hit the areas of Bustan al-Qasr, Zobdia, Ansare, Jazmate and Kalasa.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that at least 244 civilians, including 43 children and 27 women, were killed since violence between government forces and rebel groups flared on April 22.

On Friday night, government forces carried out air strikes in the eastern part of the city, while rebels fired mortars into residential areas into the western, government-controlled side. see more >> http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/aleppo-syria-160430070131693.html

Do you know Africa's big men?: The continent's long-serving leaders

Who are the nine longest-serving leaders in Africa and how long have they been in power?

Gambia, H.E. Yahya Jammeh for 21 years, ruled since 1994, He is 50 years old now.

see more >> http://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2016/african-presidents/africanleaders.mp4

Mystery missed call on your mobile? It could mean a bill for hundreds of pounds as new phone scam hits

Mobile phone regulators and operators have warned that customers are being be left with bills running to hundreds of pounds after receiving mysterious missed calls that then trigger outgoing calls to premium rate numbers lasting several hours.

The communications watchdog Ofcom said it was looking into cases where huge bills had been generated from calls to 0845 and 0843 numbers following missed calls to the victims that were not answered.

Several instances reported by the Daily Mail involved calls to claims management firms that pursue flight delay compensation. In the cases detailed by the newspaper, the premium rate calls lasted up to 12 hours and generated bills of up to £300. see more >> https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/mystery-missed-call-mobile-could-145434862.html?cache=clear

Marine General Picked to Lead US Africa Command

U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated Marine Corps Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser to leadAFRICOM, the U.S. military's Africa Command.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter called Waldhauser the "perfect pick" to lead AFRICOM. In a statement, Carter cited Waldhauser's leadership, management skills and military experience. In 2001, Waldhauser led some of the first U.S. forces into Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.

If confirmed by the Senate, Waldhauser would replace highly-regarded General David Rodriguez.

see more >> http://www.voanews.com/content/marine-general-picked-to-lead-us-africa-command/3308428.html

Rescue Crews Search for Survivors After Kenya Building Collapse Kills 7

Rescue crews in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are searching for survivors after flooding caused a seven-story residential building to collapse, killing at least seven people and trapping an unknown number of inside.

Authorities said Saturday more than 120 people have been rescued and taken to hospitals to treat their injuries. The Red Cross says units in the building and adjacent homes were affected by the collapse Friday night.

The large residential building was located in a low-income, highly-populated neighborhood in Nairobi called Huruma.

Heavy rains caused flooding and landslides in many areas of the city that made it difficult for rescue teams trying to reach the scene. Earlier in the day Friday, three people in another part of the city were killed after the flooding caused a wall around a property to collapse.

Kenya’s growing middle class has caused an increase in demand for housing in the city, but building materials used in Nairobi’s recent construction boom have come into question after several building collapses over the past year killed more than a dozen people.

President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an audit of every building in the country last year after eight buildings collapsed, killing at least 15 people. A report from the Architectural Society of Kenya estimates that half of the structures in Nairobi are not up to code. see more >> http://www.voanews.com/content/kenya-building-collapse/3309589.html

New South Sudan Government Sworn In

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has appointed a new government of national unity, bringing together politicians from opposite sides of the country's civil war.

Kiir named 30 ministers, 10 of whom were chosen by rebel leader-turned-Vice President Riek Machar and other political groups. The ministers were sworn in Friday at a ceremony in the capital, Juba.

The new government’s formation marks a major step toward implementing a peace agreement Kiir and Machar signed last August.

The peace deal calls for the transitional government to enact economic and military reforms, shepherd the country to elections within 30 months, and cooperate with a hybrid court that will try alleged perpetrators of atrocities committed during the war.

see more >> http://www.voanews.com/content/new-south-sudan-government-sworn-in/3308258.html

Deadly heat wave is shattering all-time records in Southeast Asia, India

Southeast Asia and India are currently enduring a historic and brutal heat wave that has already been blamed for more than 150 deaths and shows few signs of relenting.

April in Thailand is typically hot and sweaty, but this year's scorching weather has set a record for the longest heat wave in at least 65 years.

The temperature in Sukhothai, Thailand spiked to 44.3 degrees Celsius, or 111.7 degrees Celsius, on April 12 — just short of the all-time national record. Surrounding countries have set all-time temperature records for any month of the year during this April heat wave.

Chris Burt, a weather historian at Weather Underground, said Cambodia and Laos each set all-time record highs for any day of the year during this month. In Cambodia, Burt reported, the temperature climbed to 42.6 degrees Celsius, or 108.7 degrees Fahrenheit, in Preah Vihea on April 15.

- See more at:http://www.myjoyonline.com/world/2016/April-29th/deadly-heat-wave-is-shattering-all-time-records-in-southeast-asia-india.php

Pentagon Details Chain of Errors in Strike on Afghan Hospital

WASHINGTON — Dispatched to eliminate a compound swarming with Taliban fighters, the AC-130 gunship circled above the Afghan city, its crew struggling to figure out where exactly to direct the aircraft’s frightening array of weaponry. Missile fire had forced it off course, and now the gunship’s targeting systems were pointing it to an empty field, not an enemy base.

About 1,000 feet to the southwest, however, the crew spotted a collection of buildings that roughly matched the description of the Taliban compound provided by American and Afghan forces on the ground. Nine men could be spotted walking between the buildings.

The gunship’s navigator called an American Special Forces air controller on the ground seeking guidance. The response was immediate and unequivocal.

“Compound is currently under control of the TB, so those nine PAX are hostile,” the air controller said, using common military shorthand for “Taliban” and “people.” see more >> http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/30/world/asia/afghanistan-doctors-without-borders-hospital-strike.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

A LIFE-CHANGING DIAGNOSIS

T BEGAN WITH what she saw in the bathroom mirror. On a dull morning, Geri Taylor padded into the shiny bathroom of her Manhattan apartment. She casually checked her reflection in the mirror, doing her daily inventory. Immediately, she stiffened with fright.

Huh? What?

She didn’t recognize herself.

She gazed saucer-eyed at her image, thinking: Oh, is this what I look like? No, that’s not me. Who’s that in my mirror?

This was in late 2012. She was 69, in her early months getting familiar with retirement. For some time she had experienced the sensation of clouds coming over her, mantling thought. There had been a few hiccups at her job. She had been a nurse who climbed the rungs to health care executive. Once, she was leading a staff meeting when she had no idea what she was talking about, her mind like a stalled engine that wouldn’t turn over. see more >> http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/05/01/nyregion/living-with-alzheimers.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

Facebook in trouble? Mark Zuckerberg to take stock

A Facebook Inc. shareholder filed a proposed class action lawsuit on Friday in a bid to stop the company's plan to issue new Class C stock, calling the move an unfair deal to entrench Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg as controlling shareholder.

The lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery, followed the social networking company's announcement on Wednesday of its plan to issue the shares.

The rejiggering of Facebook's share structure is effectively a 3-for-1 stock split. Zuckerberg's said in December that he intends to put 99 per cent of his Facebook shares into a new philanthropy project focusing on human potential and equality.

The lawsuit contends that a Facebook board committee which approved the share deal "did not bargain hard" with Zuckerberg "to obtain anything of meaningful value" in exchange for granting Zuckerberg added control. read more >> http://www.emirates247.com/business/technology/facebook-in-trouble-mark-zuckerberg-to-take-stock-2016-04-30-1.628766

Arthur Simpson-Kent ‘admits killing ex-Eastenders actress Sian Blake and their two children’

The partner of former EastEnders actress Sian Blake has admitted killing her and their two children.

Arthur Simpson-Kent's lawyer told the Old Bailey the jury would be told this at his trial in October. He is yet to enter a formal plea.

Ms Blake, 43, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, were found at the family home in Erith, London, in January after being reported missing on 16 December.

He was arrested at Heathrow Airport after being extradited from Ghana.

The 48-year-old hairdresser is expected to enter pleas on 29 July.

- See more at: http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2016/April-29th/breaking-arthur-simpson-kent-admits-killing-ex-eastenders-actress-sian-blake-and-their-two-children.php

13 Asians attempt to kill man over a missing dress

Thirteen men attempted to kill a worker and assaulted two brothers over missing laundry, the Dubai Criminal Court heard early week.

The Pakistani brothers had hung laundry in the corridor of their accommodation that they shared with the 13 suspects on September 29, 2015.

When one of the brothers, MQ, 33, went to fetch his clothes, he couldn’t find it and asked one of the men standing in the corridor. The latter allegedly told him that he had thrown his clothes in the washroom.

A heated argument followed between the two. Meanwhile, the other brother joined the argument, and soon a few other men joined as well, resulting in a group fight.

MQ testified in court, “When I did not find my clothes in the corridor, I asked a room-mate who was standing near me, who told me that he had thrown it in the washroom. When I asked him why he did so, he abused me. So I called my brother, MH, who in turn called two of our cousins – MH and SH. While we were arguing, the other men in our room arrived with knives and sticks and assaulted us.” see more >> http://www.emirates247.com/news/13-asians-attempt-to-kill-man-over-a-missing-dress-2016-04-30-1.628762

Obamas challenge Queen and Prince Harry

When US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama challenged Britain's Prince Harry on social media on Friday, he responded by bringing in a big gun: the Queen.

The Obamas posted a video of themselves on Twitter promoting the Invictus Games, an international sports event for wounded, disabled and sick military personnel and veterans. see more >> http://www.emirates247.com/entertainment/obamas-challenge-queen-and-prince-harry-video-2016-04-30-1.628780

Brothers kill parents… 22-year-old did it for stranger

brothers-kill-parents-22-year-old-did-it-for-stranger-2016-04-30-1.628770

Worsening depression 'may predict dementia risk'

Symptoms of depression that steadily increase over time in older age could indicate early signs of dementia, scientists have said.

Other patterns of symptoms, such as chronic depression, appear not to be linked, a study found.

Dutch researchers looked at different ways depression in older adults progressed over time and how this related to any risk.

They concluded worsening depression may signal the condition is taking hold.

The research, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, followed more than 3,000 adults aged 55 and over living in the Netherlands see more >> http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36170259