Suicide bomber attacks Indian Embassy in Kabul, killing at least 41

A car bomb was used in an attack on the Indian embassy in central Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday morning.  The bombing killed 41, and injured at least 141. It is the deadliest attack in Kabul since 2001, when Afghanistan's Taliban government was ousted by American armed forces.

The attack happened at the gates of the embassy, located in central Kabul, near many other government buildings including the office of the Interior Ministry of Afghanistan. A security office and part of a wall were destroyed, and the blast was large enough to spread debris to surrounding buildings. Ali Hassan Fahimi, whose office is nearby, said shrapnel landed in his office. "It was so strong... our staff were shocked," he commented.

Many of the victims were Afghans who were lining up for visas to travel to India. Of the casualties, most were civilians. The dead include embassy workers, a defense attache, a senior counselor, two security guards, an Afghan employee and six police officers.

The foreign ministry of Afghanistan said that they "condemn today's terrorist attack on the embassy of the friendly and brother country of India." An Afghan government spokesman, Zamari Bashari, suggested that the attack was retaliation for India's support for reconstruction in Afghanistan. India called the bombing a "cowardly terrorist attack" and said that they would send a delegation to investigate.

Foreign entities voiced similar sentiments. The United Nations envoy Kai Eide said, "I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. In no culture, no country, and no religion is there any excuse or justification for such acts. The total disregard for innocent lives is staggering and those behind this must be held responsible." The European Union condemned the attack as a "terrorist attack targeting innocent civilians" and the United States said it was a "needless act of violence". The foreign minister of Pakistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, denounced the attack, saying, "Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations as this menace negates the very essence of human values."


Afghanistan : attentat suicide contre l'ambassade indienne


Suicide bomber attacks Istanbul, kills four

At least four people were killed by a suicide bomb in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday morning. The suicide bomber was a fifth death.

At least 36 people were injured, according to Turkish health minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu.  Reports varied on how may injured were foreigners; Minister Müezzinoğlu identified the nationalities of twelve injured from Israel, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Iran, and Dubai.
The blast occurred prematurely, according to CNN Türk.

The attack took place on Istiklal Street, a popular pedestrian commercial street.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called the blast "inhumane," saying Turkey would continue to fight "centres of terrorism".

This is the third attack in Turkey in just over a month, following a car bomb that killed more than 30 people in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, six days earlier, and the bombing of a military convoy in mid-February.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey condemned the Ankara attack, saying, "Terror organisations and their pawns are targeting our innocent citizens in the most immoral and heartless way as they lose the fight against our security forces[...] Terror attacks — which intend to target the integrity of Turkey, unity and solidarity of our people — do not diminish our will to fight against terror, but further boost it."

The Ankara attack has since been claimed by a Kurdish military group, the Kurdish Freedom Falcons: "We claim the operation of March 13, 2016, at 6:45 p.m. in the heart of the Republic of Turkey".

The Kurdish Freedom Falcons are associated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). According to Reuters, violence has escalated in southeast of Turkey since the July collapse of the Turkey–PKK ceasefire.


Memmortiga atenco en Istanbulo murdas 5 personojn

Pasintsabate okazis Istanbulo, Turkio, memmortiga atenco en unu el la centraj stratoj de la urbo. Almenaŭ 30 personoj estis vunditaj.

La atenco okazis en la avenuo Istiklal proksime de la placo Taksim, karakterizita pro esti unu el la ĉefaj komercaj kaj turismaj sektoroj de la centra areo de Istanbulo.

La vunditoj estis alportataj en hospitalon proksiman kie fine mortis la atakinto kaj aliaj 3 personoj. Kvara viktimo poste mortis.


Atentado suicida en Estambul deja 5 personas fallecidas

Durante la jornada de ayer sábado, se registró en Estambul, Turquía un atentado suicida en una de las calles céntricas de la ciudad y que dejó un saldo de 4 fallecidos y de aproximadamente 30 heridos.

El hecho se registró en la avenida Istiklal a la altura de la plaza Taksim que se caracteriza por ser una de los principales sectores comerciales y turísticos de la zona céntrica de Estambul.

Las personas que resultaron lesionadas fueron trasladadas a un hospital cercano donde también resultó fallecido el atacante junto a otras 3 personas, mas tarde también se confirmó el fallecimiento de una quinta persona mientras ingresaba al hospital.


Atentado suicida em Istambul deixa 5 pessoas mortas

Durante a jornada de ontem sábado, aconteceu em Istambul, Turquia um atentado suicida em uma das ruas centrais da cidade e que deixou um saldo de 4 mortos e de aproximadamente 30 feridos. O homem-bomba era a quinta morte.

Mais tarde, de acordo com o ministro da Saúde turco Mehmet Muezzinoglu, afirmou que 36 pessoas ficaram feridas. Relatórios afirmam que feridos eram estrangeiros e o ministro Muezzinoglu identificou as nacionalidades dos doze feridos de Israel, Alemanha, Irlanda, Islândia, Irão(PT) ou Irã(BR) e Emirados Árabes Unidos. A explosão ocorreu antes do tempo, de acordo com a CNN Türk.

O ataque aconteceu na avenida Istiklal (embora seja rua), à altura da praça Taksim que se caracteriza por ser uns dos principais sectores(PT) ou setores(BR) comerciais e turísticas na zona central de Istambul, predominante popular.

As pessoas que foram feridas foram trasladadas a um hospital próximo, onde também resultou morte o atacante junto com outras 3 pessoas, mais tarde também se confirmou a morte de uma quinta pessoa enquanto ingressava ao hospital.

O primeiro-ministro Ahmet Davutoglu chamado de explosão "desumana", dizendo que a Turquia iria continuar a lutar "centros de terrorismo". O presidente Recep Tayyip Erdogan da Turquia condenou o ataque à Ankara, dizendo:

O ataque em Ancara já foi reivindicado por um grupo militar curdo, os Falcões Pela Liberdade do Curdistão: "Nós reivindicamos a operação de 13 de Março, 2016, às 6:45 horas, no coração da República da Turquia". Os Falcões Pela Liberdade do Curdistão estão associados com o Partido dos Trabalhadores do Curdistão (PKK).

Este é o terceiro ataque na Turquia em pouco mais de um mês, na sequência de um carro-bomba que matou mais de 30 pessoas em Ancara, capital da Turquia (seis dias antes) e o bombardeio(PT) ou atentado à bomba(BR) de um comboio militar em meados de fevereiro. De acordo com a Reuters, a violência tem aumentado no sudeste da Turquia desde o colapso do cessar-fogo Turquia-PKK em Julho.


İstanbul'daki intihar saldırısında 5 kişi öldü

Cumartesi günü, İstanbul'da gerçekleştirilen bir intihar saldırısında intihar eylemcisi dahil  5 kişi öldü ve yaklaşık 30 kişi de yaralandı.

Olay, İstanbul'un en ünlü turistik bölgelerinden biri olan Taksim Meydanı'nda gerçekleşti.

Yaralılar hastaneye götürülürken, saldırganın kimlik tespiti yapıldı. Patlama sırasında yaralan fakat kaldırıldıkları hastane de hayatlarını kaybeden üç kişiyle beraber, ölü sayısı 5'e yükseldi.

((ES)) Reuters "Cuatro muertos y 20 heridos en una explosión suicida en Estambul" 24 Horas (Noticiario), 19 Mart 2016


Suicide bombers blast two Bangladeshi cities

On Tuesday morning police in Bangladesh have blamed Islamic militants for what is believed to be the country's first suicide bombings. Up to ten people were killed and dozens of others injured in the two attacks. The attacks left at least 50 people wounded with many of them said to be in critical condition.

The government has accused the hardline Jamayetul Mujahideen, which wants to introduce strict Islamic law in the Muslim-majority democracy, of staging the attacks targeting the legal system. Bangladesh police have arrested six men, including a suicide squad member in different parts of the country, in the last two days.

"This is the first suicide attack in Bangladesh," stated Abdul Kaiyum, national police chief, after blasts in the south-eastern port cities of Chittagong and Gazipur, located near the capital Dhaka.

"These were powerful homemade bombs. It seems Jamayetul Mujahideen have stepped up their attacks after we arrested many of their members."

According to Chittagong officials, a pair of suicide bombers set off explosives at a police checkpoint outside the main court around 9 a.m. Two police officers and at least one of the bombers were killed in the attack.

Minutes later, a bomb exploded inside a court in the city of Gazipur, about 20 miles north of the capital, Dhaka. Three people were killed and many more injured, including lawyers and court staff. Various reports assume the explosion was the work of a suicide bomber.

The attacks came two days after security was tightened around embassies in Dhaka following a faxed message in the name of Al Qaeda in South Asia. The message also threatened to blow up the U.S. and British missions, as well as other European embassies.

"Jamayetul Mujahideen is using Islam's name to kill people. The government has taken a hard stand and will now take an even harder stand," said Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during a visit to the south.

According to Majedul Huq, Chittagong police commissioner, the blasts appeared to be the work of suicide bombers, who had explosives strapped to their bodies or hidden in bags.

"The bombers apparently turned more violent as we set up checkposts trying to reinforce security at court premises," Huq said.

A wave of bombings has rattled Bangladesh in recent months after fundamentalist groups led by Afghan war veterans launched a campaign for Islamic rule based on the Shariat. The militants have often targeted lawyers. On Aug. 17, there were nearly 400 simultaneous bombings across the country. Jamayetul Mujahideen, led by Afghan war veteran Shaikh Abdur Rahman, has been held responsible for the attacks. In October, militants attacked courts in three districts.

On Nov. 14, two judges were killed when bombs were thrown at their car, and in later weeks other lawyers and judges have received threats. The Daily Star reported that Jamayetul Mujahideen has threatened to kill three judges and blow up Mymensingh Press Club.

Police say a 2,000-strong "suicide squad" has been formed from members of Jamayetul Mujahideen and two other banned groups, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh and Harkatul Jihad.

Bangladesh is the world's third-most-populous Muslim country after Indonesia and Pakistan.


Två självmordsbomber i Bangladesh

29 november 2005 Under tisdagsmorgonen dödade två bomber vid domstolar i sydöstra Bangladesh åtta människor och skadade ytterligare 20. Enligt två tjänstemän i hamnstaden Chittagong utlöste två självmordsbombare sprängladdningarna vid en poliskontroll utanför domstolsbyggnaden vid nio-tiden. Två poliser och en av självmordsbombarna dog i attacken.

Några minuter senare utlöstes en bomb i en domstol i staden Gazipur norr om huvudstaden Dhaka. Explosionen döda tre och många skadades varav flera advokater. Enligt vissa uppgifter var det även här själmordsbombare som låg bakom attacken. Polisen arresterade två misstänkta på platsen.

Uppgifter om antalet dödade och skadade varierar mellan olika källor. Somliga uppger 13 dödade och 65 skadade.

Majedul Huq, polischef i Chittagong säger att attackerna kommer sedan polisen upprättat sina kontrollstationer för att höja säkerhet. Tidigare denna månad dog två domare av en bomb i södra Bangladesh och under de senaste veckorna har advokater och domare varit utsatta för hot. Enligt tidningen Daily Star ska den kriminaliserade organisationen Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) hotat att döda tre domare och spränga pressklubben i staden Mymensingh. Ingen har tagit på sig skulden för attackerna men polisen misstänker JMB. Organisationen vill införa islamiska lagar i landet och antas angripa domare och domstolar eftersom de representerar den sekulariserade lagen. Under de senaste två dagarna har polisen gripit sex personer i olika delar av landet, men man tror sig veta att upp till 2 000 självmordsbombare kan finnas i landet som är världens tredje mest tätbefolkade muslimska land efter Indonesien och Pakistan.


Suicide bombing in Kusadasi, Turkey

A suicide bomber detonated herself Saturday aboard a minibus heading to Ladies beach in Kuşadasi, an Aegean Sea resort town, killing at least four people, private NTV television said. Three of the victims were foreign tourists, a doctor who treated the casualties said.

Three foreign tourists were among the dead and five foreign tourists were critically injured in the explosion, a doctor at Kuşadasi State Hospital said. He spoke on condition of anonymity. The five injured tourists were transferred to Izmir for treatment, the doctor added. According to some sources, there are five injured British tourists.

NTV television said a female suicide bomber carried out the attack on the bus, which was heading to a nearby beach. Kurdish rebels in the past have used female suicide bombers.

The explosion ripped off the roof of the white minibus.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but Kurdish rebels have recently carried out bomb attacks in Aegean resort towns.

Earlier this month, a bomb hidden in a soda can wounded 21 people, including three foreign tourists, in the Aegean coastal town of Çeşme. On April 30, a bomb in a cassette player killed a police officer and left four others wounded in Kuşadasi.

A Kurdish guerrilla group that called itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organization or TAK claimed credit for both attacks and vowed to maintain attacks against tourist areas.


Selbstmordattentat in Kuşadası

Kuşadası (Türkei), 16.07.2005 – An der türkischen Ägäis-Küste hat sich im Ort Kuşadası, rund 70 Kilometer südlich von İzmir, ein Selbstmordattentat auf einen Bus ereignet. Dabei wurden mindestens vier Menschen getötet und 14 weitere verletzt. Der Kleinbus sollte Touristen von ihrem Hotel zum Meer bringen.

Die Vermutung, dass sich ersten Berichten zufolge eine Frau mit Plastiksprengstoff in die Luft gesprengt haben soll, haben sich nicht bestätigt. Nach Angaben des britischen Außenministeriums befanden sich unter den Verletzten auch zwei Briten.

Bis jetzt hat noch niemand die Verantwortung für den Anschlag übernommen. Allerdings hat eine  kurdische Gruppe mit dem Namen „Kurdische Freiheits-Falken“ (TAK) die Verantwortung für das Attentat von letzter Woche in Çeşme übernommen, bei dem 20 Menschen verletzt wurden. Die Gruppe hat weitere Attentate dieser Art angekündigt, jedoch die Verantwortung für diesen Anschlag von sich gewiesen.


トルコのリゾート地でバス爆発、死者5人

トルコ西部のエーゲ海沿岸の観光地クシャダスで16日、市街地から海水浴場へ向かっていたバスが爆破された。クシャダスはイズミルから約70Km南に位置する。
当初クルド人活動家による自爆テロという情報もあったが、治安当局者は、バス車内に仕掛けられた爆弾が原因だったと語った。

死者は英国人1人、アイルランド人1人とトルコ人2人を含む5人、負傷者は英国人5人を含む13人。被害者は最初、国立クシャダス病院に搬送された。病院の医師が地元の民間放送局NTVに語ったところによれば、外国人観光客5人は重傷を負い、治療のためイズミルへ搬送された。なお、このコメントは医師が個人同定できないようにした状態でなされた。

事件後、クルディスタン自由の鷹機構（Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organization）を名乗る団体から犯行声明があった。犯行声明は、今後も引き続き観光地での攻撃を続けるとしている。

トルコでは、今月、エーゲ海沿岸の町ケスメでも、ジュースの缶に隠された爆弾で、外国人観光客3人を含む21人が負傷する事件が起きている。


Zamach bombowy w tureckim kurorcie

Zamachowiec samobójca zdetonował się w minibusie jadącym na popularną plażę w Kusadasi, tureckim kurorcie nad Morzem Egejskim. W wyniku wybuchu zginęły 4 osoby, wśród nich 3 zagranicznych turystów.

Wśród ciężko rannych jest także 5 zagranicznych turystów - powiedział tureckiej telewizji jeden z lekarzy szpitala w Kusadasi. Rannych turystów przewieziono na leczenie do stolicy prowincji, miasta Izmir. Według niektórych źródeł wszyscy ranni to Brytyjczycy.

Według informacji prywatnej telewizji tureckiej zamachowcem była kobieta, prawdopodobnie kurdyjska separatystka.

Do tej pory żadne ugrupowanie nie przyznało się do tego zamachu bombowego. Jednak zdaniem władz dowody wskazują na to, że za zamachami stoją Kurdowie. Wcześniej w tym miesiącu doszło do podobnego zamachu w miejscowości Cesme na wybrzeżu Morza Egejskiego. Zginęło wówczas 21 osób, w tym 3 zagranicznych turystów. W kwietniu w Kusadasi w wyniku wybuchu bomby umieszczonej w walkmanie zginął policjant, a kilka osób zostało rannych. Do tych ataków przyznała się grupa partyzantów kurdyjskich.


Terrorista suicida mata pelo menos 4 pessoas na Turquia

Uma terrorista suicida fez-se detonar neste sábado (16), na Turquia dentro de um micro-ônibus que se dirigia para uma praia em Kusadai. Pelo menos quatro pessoas morreram, segundo a rede privada de televisão NTV. Três das vítimas eram turistas estrangeiros, de acordo com um médico que atendeu os feridos.

Cinco outros turistas estrangeiros  ficaram feridos gravemente pela explosão e foram transferidos para  Izmir.

A explosão arrancou o teto do micro-ônibus.

Segundo as últimas notícias, nenhum grupo assumiu a responsabilidade pelo atentado ainda. Sabe-se que rebeldes curdos recentemente praticaram atentados a bomba na região.


Survey: Denmark, Finland are world's least and Myanmar, Somalia are world's most corrupt countries

An annual survey by Transparency International (TI) of Berlin, Germany has shown Denmark and Finland to be the world's least corrupt countries, while the most corrupt are Myanmar and Somalia.

The annual Corruption Perceptions Index listed 180 different countries. The findings were presented by TI chairman Hansjoerg Elshorst, who pointed out that the survey represented the "general perception of corruption and the fight against corruption". He also commented on the fact that five of the ten highest-ranking nations were Nordic - Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Norway all ranked highly. He said the main reason they did so well was that they all had highly transparent administrative systems. In addition to two Nordic countries, New Zealand was also ranked joint first. All three received ratings of 9.4 out of ten. Myanmar and Somalia both received 1.4 ratings.

Meanwhile, Croatia, Macedonia, and the Czech Republic all were commended for marked improvements in their anti-corruption efforts. Some other selected results are Singapore at joint fourth with Sweden, the United Kingdom in 12th place, Germany in 16th place, France at 19th, the United States at 20, China at 72nd and Russia at 143rd. The difference between Finland and Russia, which is rated at 2.4, is so abrupt that it is thought that the Finland-Russia border is the most sudden change of corruption levels in the world, worse than the infamous US-Mexico border.

Elshorst went on to demand higher levels of international efforts to combat corruption and for Germany's ratification of the UN Convention against Corruption.


Dinamarca y Finlandia clasifican como países menos corruptos; Birmania y Somalia, como los mayores

29 de septiembre de 2007Berlin, Alemania —

Una investigación anual de Transparencia Internacional (TI) de Berlin, Alemania, ha revelado que los dos países menos corruptos son Dinamarca y Finlandia, mientras que los más corruptos son Birmania y Somalia.

El Índice de percepción de corrupción anual incluye a 180 países distintos. Los resultados fueron presentados por el presidente de TI, Hansjoerg Elshorst, quien señaló que el estudio representa la "percepción general de corrupción y la lucha contra la corrupción".

También comentó en el hecho que cinco de las naciones menos corruptas son nórdicas – Dinamarca, Finlandia, Suecia, Islandia y Noruega, las cuales tuvieron resultados óptimos y altos. Además, agregó que el motivo primordial, por el cual llegaron a sus respectivos altos rankings, es que todos tienen sistemas administrativos transparentes. Otra nación que puntuó alto fue Nueva Zelanda, que junto con Finlandia y Dinamarca tienen 9,4 puntos sobre diez.

Por su parte, Birmania y Somalia tienen 1,4 puntos.

Entre tanto, Costa Rica, Croacia, Cuba, República Checa, Dominica, Italia, Macedonia, Rumania y Surinam fueron comentadas por haber obtenido mejores resultados marcando sus esfuerzos anti-corrupción. Entre otros resultados, Singapur se encuentra cuarto con Suecia, el Reino Unido duodécimo, Alemania en el puesto 16, Francia en el 19, Estados Unidos en el 20, China en el 71 y Rusia en el 143.

La diferencia entre Finlandia y Rusia, que marcó 2,4, es tan abrupta que se cree que la frontera entre los dos países presenta el cambio más repentino de niveles de corrupción en el mundo, mucho más que la infame frontera de Estados Unidos y México.

Elshorst siguió en su presentación pidiendo más esfuerzos internacionales para combatir la corrupción, y también pidió a Alemania que ratificara la Convención de la ONU contra la Corrupción.


Suspect arrested after hijacking Mexican airliner

The Mexican government has said that an Aeroméxico Boeing-737, flight 576 from Cancun, was hijacked and landed safely at Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City.

The plane was traveling from Cancun to Mexico City. The situation ended without incident and all passengers and crew on board the aircraft were able to leave safely. All hijackers were arrested after Mexican security forces boarded the plane.

The incident began just after 1:30 p.m. (CDT) one man took control of the plane and demanded to speak to Felipe Calderon, Mexico's president. The hijacker said that if his demand was not met, he would blow up the plane. Earlier reports had stated there were explosives on board the aircraft, but none were found. Five people were initially detained without incident.

A short time later, four of the detained men were released without being charged. Authorities identified the sole hijacker as Jose Mar Flores, 44, who is being described as an alcoholic, drug addicted, religious fanatic. He claims he was on a mission to warn Mexico that an earthquake was going to strike the country. Flores said that the significance of the date, 9/9/09, the reverse of 666, was the reason why he hijacked the plane. Reports say he was carrying a box that he described as a bomb and would detonate it if his demand to speak to Calderon about the quake was not met.

104 people were on board the plane, but all passengers and crew aboard the aircraft have left it safely.  The airport remained open while the plane was dealt with on an emergency runway.

Calderon was inside the airport's presidential hanger waiting to depart when the plane landed.  His flight was canceled.


Sacerdote cristiano intenta secuestrar avión en Ciudad de México

Motivado presuntamente por revelaciones numéricas, José Marc Flores Pereira, de nacionalidad boliviana, intentó secuestrar esta tarde en el Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México un avión Boeing 737 del vuelo 576 de Aeroméxico, que voló de la ciudad de Cancún a la capital de México. El presunto secuestrador pedía hablar con el presidente Felipe Calderón para alertarle sobre una posible catástrofe que advirtió luego de voltear la cifra 9-9-9 del día de hoy y leer en ella 6-6-6.

Las primeras investigaciones revelaron que Flores Pereira tiene antecedentes penales y que estuvo recluido en Santa Cruz, Bolivia, en donde habría ejercido de francotirador y de sicario, por testimonios luego de su conversión al cristianismo y convertirse en predicador y cantante de temas religiosos, los cuales están disponibles en YouTube.

El presunto secuestrador amenazó con dos latas de jugo a la tripulación y exigió hablar con el presidente Calderón so pena de hacer estallar el artefacto. Según testigos, también traía una Biblia en la mano e intentó entrar a la cabina, sin conseguirlo. Su objetivo era alterar al presidente Calderón, por un mensaje divino, de un supuesto peligro para México de una catástrofe.

Hacia las 14:30 (hora local), el grupo táctico de la Policía Federal intervino y los pasajeros del avión fueron rescatados a salvo y el secuestrador detenido. Siete pasajeros más fueron esposados y sin aparente responsabilidad, para ser conducidos al Centro de Mando de dicha corporación, donde el resto de los pasajeros son interrogados y sus equipajes, revisados.

Más tarde fue presentado a los medios de comunicación y Flores Pereira se portó locuaz y sonriente.


Avião mexicano é sequestrado depois de decolar de Cancún

Um avião que decolou no balneáreo caribenho de Cancún, no México, foi sequestrado por pessoas de origem boliviana. Os sequestradores afirmaram que queriam se encontrar com o presidente felipe Calderón, e ameaçou detonar explosivos caso seu desejo não fosse atendido.

O vôo de número 576, operado pela empresa Aeroméxico, aterrisou na Cidade do México por volta das 17 horas da tarde de hoje, e segundo informações oficiais, nenhum passageiro se feriu, "todos sairam do avião são e salvos". Uma passageira declarou à TV Azteca que foi "um momento de muita tensão e muito susto". As informações foram divulgadas por jornais locais mexicanas e uma autoridade dos EUA.

Oito pessoas foram presas pela polícia mexicana. Havia na aeronave 112 passageiros, inclusive, além de mexicanos, estadunidenses e franceses.


Suspect arrested for murder of Iraq's entire taekwondo team

Officials in Iraq have announced the arrest in Anbar of a man suspected of abducting and killing all fifteen members of the national taekwondo team. The fifteen sportsmen were ambushed in May 2006.

The team was traveling in convoy towards Jordan to attend a training camp when they were stopped by gunmen. The skeletal remains of thirteen of them were recovered near the highway the following year and the other two remain missing. The attack occurred near Khalidiyah between Fallujah and Ramadi.

US forces and Iraqi commandos made the joint arrest on September 24 and it was announced yesterday. There are no details released on the suspect, but he is reported to have possible links with other terror attacks. The US military did not state in their announcement how they identified the suspect. Victims' relatives have said they are pleased at the news. "We are still overwhelmed by sadness and bitterness, but the arrest of one of the killers will bring some relief to us," said victim Ahmed Ali's cousin Ali Hussein Hamid.

Sportsplayers and officials were regularly targeted by insurgents in 2006 and 2007. According to Chelsea Carter writing for the Associated Press, the slaying of the taekwondo team "became one of the symbols of Iraq's lawlessness during its worse years of sectarian violence."


Suspeito preso pelo assassinato de toda a equipe iraquiana de taekwondo

Autoridades do Iraque anunciaram a prisão em Anbar de um homem suspeito de seqüestrar e matar todos os quinze membros da equipe nacional de taekwondo. Os quinze esportistas foram emboscados em maio de 2006.

A equipe viajava em comboio para a Jordânia para participar de um treinamento quando foram detidos por homens armados. Os restos mortais de treze deles foram recuperados perto da rodovia no ano seguinte e os outros dois permanecem desaparecidos. O ataque ocorreu perto Khalidiyah entre Fallujah e Ramadi.

Comandos dos Estados Unidos e forças iraquianas fizeram a detenção conjunta em 24 de setembro e foi anunciado ontem. Não há detalhes sobre o suspeito liberado, mas ele é relatado de ter possíveis ligações com outros ataques terroristas. Os militares dos Estados Unidos não indicaram em seu anúncio como eles identificaram o suspeito. Parentes das vítimas disseram que estão satisfeitos com a notícia. "Nós ainda estamos sobrecarregados de tristeza e amargura, mas a prisão de um dos assassinos vai trazer algum alívio para nós", disse o primo vítima, Ahmed Ali Hussein Ali Hamid.

Jogadores e os funcionários foram freqüentemente atacados pelos insurgentes em 2006 e 2007. De acordo com o Chelsea Carter, ao escrever para a Associated Press, o assassinato da equipe de taekwondo "se tornou um dos símbolos da anarquia no Iraque durante o seu pior ano de violência sectária".


Suspect arrested in death of elephant in Kerala, India that ate explosive fruit

On Friday, Indian officials in Kerala arrested a man in connection with the death of a pregnant female elephant suffering from explosive injuries. Authorities said they believed a fruit filled with firecrackers had exploded in her mouth, damaging her jaw and ultimately leading to her death.

According to wildlife officials, the 15-year-old elephant's injuries were discovered on May 25 after she was observed standing in the Velliyar River. Despite attempts by officials to lure her out using two other elephants, the injured elephant remained in the river and died two days later. An autopsy determined the elephant was pregnant before she was cremated. Citing the elephant's reduced body size, officials estimated she may have starved for up to 20 days or longer. The incident gained media attention after local wildlife officer Mohan Krishnan shared his experience on Facebook. Some people expressed their outrage on social media as the incident became known.

Officials later announced an arrest of a rubber tapper — a man in his forties identified only as "P Wilson" — in the elephant's death while as of yesterday two other suspects were reportedly at large. Initial reports stated the firecracker-laden fruit was a pineapple; NDTV later reported officials, following an investigation, stated it was a coconut. Forest officials suggested the elephant may have tried to eat a "pig cracker" meant to repel wild boars.


Índia: preso suspeito da morte de elefante em Querala

Na sexta-feira, autoridades indianas em Querala prenderam um homem em conexão com a morte de uma elefante fêmea. As autoridades acreditam que uma fruta cheia de fogos de artifício explodiu em sua boca, danificando sua mandíbula e levando à morte.

De acordo com autoridades da vida selvagem, os ferimentos do elefante de 15 anos foram descobertos em 25 de maio, depois que ela foi observada no rio Velliyar. Apesar das tentativas das autoridades de atraí-la usando outros dois elefantes, a elefante ferida permaneceu no rio e morreu dois dias depois.

Uma autópsia determinou que a elefante estava grávida antes de ser cremada. Em relação ao tamanho reduzido do seu corpo, as autoridades estimam que ela pode ter passado fome por 20 dias ou mais. O incidente ganhou a atenção da mídia depois que o oficial local, Mohan Krishnan, compartilhou no Facebook. Algumas pessoas expressaram sua indignação nas mídias sociais quando o incidente se tornou conhecido.

As autoridades mais tarde anunciaram a prisão de um seringueiro — um homem de quarenta e poucos anos identificado apenas como "P Wilson" —, enquanto que ontem outros dois suspeitos estavam em liberdade. Os relatórios iniciais afirmavam que o fruto carregado de fogos de artifício era um abacaxi; Mais tarde, a NDTV informou que as autoridades, após uma investigação, afirmaram que era um coco.


Suspect in Atlanta courtroom shooting gets hearing

Brian Nichols appeared before Cobb County Magistrate Judge Frank Cox on Tuesday, four days after fleeing Atlanta in a killing spree. The hearing took place inside a Fulton County jail. Accompanied by nineteen security officers and shackled at the hands and feet, Nichols only words when asked if he had any questions were, "Not at this time."

The 5 minute hearing was a formality to uphold the rape charges against him. He will be charged with 4 counts of murder and is currently being held with bond.

Nichols allegedly shot the judge at his rape trial along with two others in an Atlanta courtroom. He then fled to a suburb outside the city, where later that evening he shot a US customs agent before taking a woman, Ashley Smith, hostage. Smith was held by Nichols in her own apartment for 4 hours while he eluded a massive manhunt.

Nichols ultimately let Smith go free. He surrendered peacefully to a SWAT team after she alerted authorities.


2005/03/16: Misstänkt i domstolsdramat i Atlanta förhörd

Brian Nichols förhördes idag i sitt fängelse i Atlanta. Nichols är misstänkt för flera våldtäkter och 4 mord. Förhöret var över på fem minuter och var framför allt en formalitet inför fortsatta förhandlingar. Nichols valde att inte kommentera anklagelserna.

Vid en rättegång där Nichols stod anklagad för våldtäkt, sköt han domaren och två andra närvarande. Han flydde därefter till en av Atlantas förorter där han samma kväll sköt en statstjänsteman innan han tog en kvinna, Ashley Smith, som gisslan i hennes lägenhet. Nichols lyckades hålla sig gömd med sin gisslan i fyra timmar innan han släppte gisslan och överlämnade sig själv till en SWAT-grupp.


Suspect in Kenosha, Wisconsin protester killings released from jail on US$2 million bond

Kyle Rittenhouse, the suspect in a shooting of protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States that left two people dead, was released from a Wisconsin jail Friday after his lawyers posted US$2 million bond.

His lawyers had reportedly set up a drive to collect donations for the defendant. His sister made public requests for assistance in raising funds for her brother's bail. Shortly after Rittenhouse's release, one of his lawyers posted a photo to Twitter showing him and actor Ricky Schroder standing next to each other and smiling.

A resident of Antioch, Illinois, Rittenhouse is accused of crossing state lines and shooting and killing two people who were participating in demonstrations protesting the shooting of Jacob Blake. One other person was injured in the altercation. Rittenhouse's charges include intentional homicide and illegally possessing a firearm.  If convicted, Rittenhouse could receive up to a lifetime prison sentence.

Rittenhouse was not old enough to own or possess a firearm in the state of Illinois at the time of the incident. He claimed to have obtained his weapon by having an older friend purchase it on his behalf using stimulus money Rittenhouse received from the state during the coronavirus lockdown. A suspect in Wisconsin has been charged for allegedly providing the weapon to Rittenhouse.

Rittenhouse turned himself in to authorities on the morning following the shooting, and his lawyers have claimed the defendant acted in self defense. Court Commissioner Loren Keating said he considered Rittenhouse a flight risk, prior to setting the US$2 million bond.
Rittenhouse, in remarks to The Washington Post, contended he would have died had he not been armed that night. Some conservative groups have come to Rittenhouse's defense regarding the incident.


Suspeito de assassinar manifestantes em Wisconsin libertado sob fiança de US$ 2 milhões

Kyle Rittenhouse, suspeito de um tiroteio contra manifestantes em Kenosha, Wisconsin, Estados Unidos, que deixou duas pessoas mortas, foi libertado da prisão na sexta-feira depois que seus advogados pagaram fiança de US$ 2 milhões.

Seus advogados teriam organizado uma campanha para coletar doações para o réu. Sua irmã fez pedidos públicos de ajuda para levantar fundos para a fiança. Pouco depois da libertação de Rittenhouse, um de seus advogados postou uma foto no Twitter mostrando ele e o ator Ricky Schroder parados um ao lado do outro e sorrindo.

Morador de Antioch, Illinois, Rittenhouse é acusado de cruzar as fronteiras estaduais e atirar e matar duas pessoas que participavam de manifestação contra o assassinato de Jacob Blake. Uma outra pessoa foi ferida. As acusações de Rittenhouse incluem homicídio doloso e posse ilegal de arma de fogo. Se condenado, Rittenhouse pode receber até pena de prisão perpétua.

Rittenhouse não tinha idade suficiente para possuir uma arma de fogo no estado de Illinois na época do incidente. Ele alegou ter pedido que um amigo mais velho comprasse a arma em seu nome usando o dinheiro que Rittenhouse recebeu do Estado durante a pandemia do coronavírus.

Rittenhouse se entregou às autoridades na manhã seguinte ao tiroteio, e seus advogados alegaram que o réu agiu em legítima defesa. O magistrado Loren Keating disse que considerava Rittenhouse perigoso, antes de definir a fiança de US$ 2 milhões. Rittenhouse, em comentários ao The Washington Post, afirmou que teria morrido se não estivesse armado naquela noite. Alguns grupos conservadores vieram em defesa dele.


Suspected assassin of Turkish-Armenian journalist arrested

A suspect has been arrested in the case of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist who was assassinated yesterday. Dink was known for writing about the controversial issue of Armenian genocide, the mass killings of Armenians by Turks under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.

Ogün Samast, a 17-year-old unemployed, high-school drop out from the city of Trabzon, was taken into custody by the Turkish police as the suspected assassin of Hrant Dink. The police also confiscated his gun, suspecting that it was used to kill Dink. Ahmet Samast, father of the suspected assassin, informed the authorities regarding the whereabouts of his son after seeing the assassin's images on TV.

The Republic attorney general of Samsun stated that the suspect has confessed to committing his crime.


Mutmaßlicher Mörder des türkischen Journalisten Dink gefasst

Istanbul (Türkei), 21.01.2007 – Der mutmaßliche Mörder des armenischen Journalisten Hrant Dink ist in der Türkei gefasst worden. Es handelt sich um den 17-jährigen Ogun S. aus der nordtürkischen Stadt Trabzon. Sein Foto war von Überwachungskameras festgehalten worden. Nachdem die Bilder im Rahmen einer landesweiten Fahndung öffentlich ausgestrahlt worden waren, gab der Vater des mutmaßlichen Täters den Hinweis, der zur Ergreifung führte. Der 17-Jährige soll geständig sein. Als Tatmotiv soll der junge Mann angegeben haben, dass Dink das türkische Volk beleidigt habe.


Suspected bomb derails Moscow-St Petersburg train, kills at least 25

An express train travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg in Russia derailed yesterday, leaving at least 25 people dead and 100 more wounded. Authorities suspect a terrorist attack after a possible bomb crater was found beside the line.

The trainwreck occurred in the countryside of Tver, near Bologoye. Around 650 passengers were on board the Nevsky Express which was travelling during peak time along one of Russia's most-traversed rail routes. Ninety of the injured are hospitalised, with hundreds of rescue workers attending and three victims being airlifted by helicopter.

Survivors say they heard a loud bang just before the crash. "There was an explosion under the locomotive," the driver said as he called the Emergencies Ministry from his mobile phone. "I do not know what we hit. We are derailed. The locomotive and carriages, I do not know yet what else, everything is in smoke."

The prosecutor-general has launched a terrorism investigation. Vladimir Yakunin, head of state-owned Russian Railways, said the chief line of enquiry is "To put it simply, a terrorist attack." "There is objective evidence that ... a blast from an explosive device is one of the explanations for the Nevsky Express incident," he said.

The Interfax agency reported the crater was a metre wide. Russian journalists reporting from the scene were unable to locate it. President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a full investigation and assistance for the victims. The Health Ministry said that over a dozen people remain missing.

Russian railway infrastructure is poorly maintained and plagued by negligence and alcohol abuse, according to The Guardian. There is also a high concern of terrorism, especially from rebels in Chechnya. Two Chechnyan rebels are accused of a 2007 bombing that derailed a train on the same line, wounding 27 people.


Авария «Невского экспресса» близ Бологого (2009)

21:34 по московскому времени три последних вагона скоростного пассажирского поезда № 166 «Невский экспресс» шедшего из Москвы сошли с рельсов в 25 километрах от города Бологое (Тверская область, приблизительно половина пути между Москвой и Питером). Значительные повреждения получили два последних вагона. Погибли 23 пассажира, около 54 человек значительно травмированы.

Движение поездов между Москвой и Питером временно приостановлено, задержка предварительно составит 10 часов.

К месту аварии прибыли более 20 бригад «скорой помощи». Пострадавших доставляют в ближайшие населённые пункты Алешинка, Бологое, Боровичи, Угловка, где будут развёрнуты мобильные госпитали. Больницы Бологое и Санкт-Петербурга готовятся принять транспортабельных больных. Организована телефонная линия для родственников пассажиров злополучного поезда (8(812)4574905, 8(812)4368813, 8(800)2006767, 8(495)6263707), составлен список всех пассажиров поезда ([1] Архивная копия от 11 декабря 2009 на Wayback Machine).

Президент РФ поручил главе МЧС оказать всю необходимую помощь пострадавшим.

Предположительно сход с рельсов был инициирован взрывом, поскольку под одним из рельсов обнаружена небольшая воронка. По сообщениям в прессе имеются свидетели, которые перед крушением слышали громкий хлопок.

Версия сотрудников Минтранса о крушении из-за перевода стрелки в следствии перебоя электроэнергии опровергли в Межрегиональной распределительной компании.

Президент России Дмитрий Медведев поручил ответственным лицам ФСБ, Генпрокуратуры и МЧС расследовать данную аварию.

По времени данный инцидент связан с Макшарипом Хидриевым, который практически накануне (25 ноября 2009 г.) в суде признал себя виновным в причастности к организации подрыва этого же поезда 13 августа 2007 в части доставки взрывчатых веществ.

При этом, Павел Косолапов — один из фигурантов дела о теракте в 2007 году, обвинён судом заочно и находится в настоящее время в розыске (фотография разыскиваемого доступна по ссылке [2] Архивная копия от 5 сентября 2008 на Wayback Machine). Павел Косолапов, который после учёбы в военном училище Чечни под руководством будущих полевых командиров, принял ислам радикального толка и сменил своё имя Павел на Мохаммад. Возглавив диверсионную группу, Павел Косолапов был направлен Басаевым на совершение терактов в московский регион. По сей день Косолапов является одним из самых разыскиваемых в России террористов.

27 ноября 2009 года


ரஷ்யாவில் குண்டுத்தாக்குதலில் சிக்கிய தொடருந்து தடம் புரண்டதில் 26 பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டனர்

ரஷ்யாவில் வெள்ளி இரவு மாஸ்கோவுக்கும் சென் பீட்டர்ஸ்பர்க் நகருக்கும் இடையில் சென்றுகொண்டிருந்த விரைவு தொடருந்து தடம்புரண்ட நிகழ்வில், குறைந்தது 26 பேர் கொல்லப்பட்டும் நூறு பேர் வரையிலானோர் காயமடைந்தும் உள்ளனர். இத்தொடருந்து தடம் புரளக் காரணம் குண்டுவெடிப்புதான் என்று அந்நாட்டின் உள்நாட்டு உளவுத்துறையான எஃப்.எஸ்.பி. கூறுகிறது.

இந்நிகழ்வு துவெர் மாநிலத்தில் பலகோயெ என்ற இடத்தில் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது. நியெவ்ஸ்கி கடுகதி என்ற இத்தொடருந்தில் கிட்டத்தட்ட 650 பேர் பயணித்திருந்தனர்.

மோதலுக்கு முன்னர் ஒரு பெரும் வெடிப்புச் சத்தம் கேட்டதாக பயணிகள் தெரிவித்தனர். "ரயிலுக்கு அடியில் வெடிப்பொன்று நிகழ்ந்ததாக" ரயிலின் ஓட்டுநர் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். தண்டவாளத்துக்கு அருகில் பள்ளமும் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. 7 கிலோ டி.என்.டி. குண்டுக்கு ஒப்பான நாட்டு வெடிகுண்டு பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது என்று ரஷ்ய உள்நாட்டு உளவு நிறுவனத் தலைவர் அலெக்ஸாந்தர் போர்ட்னிகோவ் கூறியுள்ளார்.

2007 ஆம் ஆண்டில் இதே பாதையில் இரண்டு செச்சினியத் தீவிரவாதிகள் நடத்திய தாக்குதலில் தொடருந்து ஒன்று தடம் புரண்டதில் 27 பேர் காயமடைந்தனர்.

ஞாயிறு, நவம்பர் 29, 2009


Rusya'da bombalı saldırı

Rusya'nın başkenti Moskova'dan St. Petersburg'a gitmek üzere yola çıkan yolcu trenine bombalı saldırı düzenlendi. Saldırıda 26 kişi hayatını kaybetti, 100 kişi yaralandı. Olay yerel saat ile 14.00'de (UTC: 11.00) meydana geldi. Patlamada 7 kilogram TNT'ye eşdeğer güçte bir bombanın kullanıldığı belirtildi. Bombanın trenin 200 kilometre/saat hızla gittiği sırada patlatıldığı öğrenildi.

Ayrıca trende bomba patlatıldıktan sonra yakınlarda ikinci bir bombanın daha patlatıldığı bildirildi. Rusya Demiryolları İdaresi Genel Müdürü Vladimir Yakunin ise Nevski ekspresinin raydan çıkmasına, bir bombanın patlamasının yol açtığına dair maddi deliller var şeklinde açıklama yaptı. Bunun yanısıra Rusya Federal İç Güvenlik Teşkilatı Başkanı Aleksandır Bortnikov trenin raydan çıkmasına bombanın yol açtığını söyledi.

Moskova - St. Petersburg seferini yapan Nevski ekspresinde 650 yolcu bulunuyordu.


Теракт на російській залізниці: 26 загиблих і майже 100 поранених

27 листопада 2009 року у Росії сталася аварія пасажирського потягу сполученням Москва — Санкт-Петербург, у результаті котрого щонайменше 26 чоловік загинуло і більш як 100 отримали поранення. Ще 18 пасажирів вважаються зниклими без вісті. За версією правоохоронних органів, причиною аварії став терористичний акт. На місті трагедії були знайдені фрагменти вибухового пристрою, а пізніше пролунав ще один вибух.

Аварія сталася у Тверській області на одному з найбільш жвавих залізничних маршрутів країни. На час теракту у потязі було 682 людини, з них 661 пасажир, а решта працівники залізниці. За даними російських ЗМІ, екстремістська організація «Combat 18» взяла на себе відповідальність за цей теракт. Була порушена кримінальна справа за статтею "тероризм".

На 7 годину ранку за Московським часом у неділю, залізничне сполучення між Москвою і Санк-Петербургом було відновлене.

29 листопада 2009


Suspended sentence for Sasser worm author

Author of the Sasser worm, Sven Jaschan (19), was convicted today for
three cases of computer sabotage and four of illegal data modification, to which he had pleaded guilty at the start of his four-day trial.

The regional court in Verden, Germany, condemned Jaschan to a 21 month suspended sentence. He is also expected to undertake 30 hours of community service and will not have to pay court costs. Public prosecutor Lutz Gaebel had called for 200 hours of community service and a two-year suspended sentence.

Jaschan, an 18 year old computer science student at the time, was arrested in May 2004 after international investigations were launched. He was then released pending trial. The arrest followed tip offs to the police, which may have been prompted by Microsoft's offer of US$250,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible. He was tried as a minor since he authored Sasser at the age of 17. The trial was held behind closed doors, with details reported to the press by Katharina Krützfeldt, the court spokesperson.

The worm began to spread in April 2004 on Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems which had not been patched with MS04-011. The worm hit companies and home users worldwide, with reported cases at Agence France-Presse, Delta Air Lines, HM Coastguard, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Post, Australia Railcorp, and the European Commission.

The BBC reported that the worm had affected millions worldwide, and Heise noted that experts had estimated several million euro worth of damage.

According to various sources Jaschan was 'fingered' by a couple of his friends who were after the 'Microsoft Anti-Virus Reward' of $250,000 US Dollars. According to Microsoft's Web site, rewards of $250,000 can still be collected for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for launching the MyDoom.B worm, the Sobig virus and the MSBlast.A [aka Blaster] worm. Furthermore, Microsoft have another $4 Million in hand for rewards required for future malicious software authors they want to have arrested and prosecuted.


Urteil im Sasser-Prozess: Jugendstrafe auf Bewährung

Verden (Deutschland), 08.07.2005 – Das Landgericht Verden hat heute den 19-jährigen Entwickler Sven J. der Computerwürmer „Sasser“ und „NetSky“ zu einer Jugendstrafe von einem Jahr und neun Monaten auf Bewährung verurteilt. Der Angeklagte hat weiterhin 30 Stunden gemeinnützige Arbeit zu leisten. Das Urteil liegt damit unter den Forderungen der Staatsanwaltschaft. Diese hatte eine Jugendstrafe von zwei Jahren auf Bewährung sowie 200 Sozialstunden gefordert, die Verteidigung hingegen plädierte für eine Jugendstrafe von unter einem Jahr.

Wie eine Sprecherin des Landgerichts mitteilte, wurde der Angeklagte der Computersabotage in drei Fällen sowie der Datenveränderung in vier Fällen für schuldig gesprochen. Das Urteil ist rechtskräftig. In der Urteilsbegründung heißt es, der Angeklagte habe mit großer Intensität und erheblicher krimineller Energie gehandelt, seine Taten über einen langen Zeitraum geplant und ständig neue, bessere und schnellere Versionen seiner Computerwürmer weiter entwickelt. Er sei insoweit in einen Wettbewerb mit anderen eingetreten, habe einen immensen, nicht abschätzbaren Schaden verursacht. Das Gericht stellte aber auch fest, dass das Verhalten des Angeklagten nicht auf kommerzielle Ziele ausgerichtet gewesen sei. Zudem spielte  beim Strafmaß das umfassende Geständnis eine Rolle.

Vom Wurm, der Sicherheitslücken in Microsoft Windows XP und Windows 2000 ausgenützt hat, waren unter anderem Computer der deutschen Postbank, der finnischen Sampo Bank, der Delta Air Lines und der Europäischen Kommission sowie weiterer Unternehmen und Behörden weltweit betroffen.


Autor Sassera skazany

Autor wirusów Sasser i Netsky, Sven Jaschan, został skazany przez niemiecki sąd na rok i 9 miesięcy pozbawienia wolności w zawieszeniu.

Wirusy w ubiegłym roku siały spustoszenie w większości krajów świata. Ich ofiarą stała się m.in. niemiecka poczta. Wirusy wykorzystywały lukę w systemach operacyjnych firmy Microsoft - Windows 2000 i Windows XP. Ich obecność objawiała się m.in. nagłym wyłączaniem się komputera. Swoją powszechność zawdzięczały zdolności rozsyłania się za pośrednictwem poczty elektronicznej.

Firma Microsoft natychmiast po wykryciu wirusa udostępniła poprawki dla swoich systemów operacyjnych, które niwelowały lukę w zabezpieczeniach wykorzystywaną przez te typy wirusów.

Twórcę wirusów udało się zatrzymać dzięki współdziałaniu FBI i CIA.


Swaziland's King Mswati III signs gazette to rename country to eSwatini

On Thursday, the King of Swaziland, Mswati III, signed an official gazette to change the name of the country to eSwatini, which means "land of the Swazi" in the Swazi language. Per the gazette, a form of official government publication for important announcements, the absolute monarchy is to be referred to as "eSwatini" in all official documents including Swazi passports.

The Gazette read, "In exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 64 (3) of the Constitution of Swaziland Act No. 1 of 2005, I, Mswati III, King and Ingwenyama of Eswatini makes the declaration that the name of the Kingdom of Swaziland is changed to Kingdom of Eswatini."

A month ago, on April 19, on the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain, and King Mswati's 50th birthday, the ruler said in a speech that the country's name "was inherited from the British". The monarch has used "eSwatini" on various international stages including the United Nations's 2017 General Assembly and an African Union summit.

In the independence day speech, the king said, "If we are to give true meaning to our independence, time has come to give our country a name of its people. It must be said that this process is long overdue, particularly if you consider how other countries in the region localised their names soon after independence [...] I have the pleasure to present to you, on this historic day, a new name for the kingdom. Our country will now be called Kingdom of Eswatini". The nearby countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Botswana all changed their names after attaining independence from Britain. Their previous names were Rhodesia, Nyasaland and Bechuanaland respectively.

Although the gazette was signed this week, it states "the notice shall be deemed to have come into force on April 19". At the April event, the monarch highlighted the similarity between the names of  "Swaziland" and "Switzerland", a European nation. He said, "Whenever we go abroad, people refer to us as Switzerland".

The citizens are to be referred to as "Emaswati" (plural) or "Liswati" (singular).


Swaziland : le roi Mswati III renomme le pays "eSwatini"


Swedish court finds administrators of The Pirate Bay guilty of contributory copyright infringement

A court in Sweden has found at least four administrators of the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay (TPB) guilty of being "accessories to copyright infringement." The court ordered Carl Lundström, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, and Peter Sunde to serve at least one year in prison and pay damages of US$3.5 million (€2.7 million).

"The Stockholm district court has today found guilty the four individuals that were charged with accessory to breaching copyright laws. The court has sentenced each of them to one year in prison," said a statement released by the court.

Despite the ruling, TPB says it will not be shut down and file sharing operations will not be affected. "Stay calm -- Nothing will happen to TPB, us personally or file sharing whatsoever. This is just a theater for the media," said a spokesman for TPB. The spokesman also added that TPB "cannot and will not" pay the damages. TPB is expected to file an appeal.

The trial lasted two weeks, and ended on March 2. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures among others. Investigators say at least 33 specific films and songs posted on TPB were tracked by authorities.


Diritto d'autore: condannati i responsabili di Pirate Bay

Il tribunale penale di Stoccolma, al termine di un processo durato 3 settimane, ha emesso una condanna pesantissima per i responsabili di Pirate Bay, il sito di condivisione di contenuti multimediali, accusati di aver aiutato a rendere disponibile materiale coperto da diritti d'autore; è stata riconosciuta fondata anche l'imputazione di favoreggiamento nella violazione di copyright, che si era aggiunta alla precedente nella seconda udienza del dibattimento. Lo ha reso noto lo stesso tribunale, in un comunicato stampa.

Un anno di carcere ciascuno è la pena per Peter Sunde, il trentenne fondatore del sito, per Carl Lundström, quarantottenne finanziatore, e per Fredrik Neij e Gottfrid Svartholm, ma è forse ancora più pesante l'aspetto economico della condanna: i responsabili dovranno corrispondere 30 milioni di corone svedesi (circa 2,7 milioni di euro, cioè circa 5 miliardi e mezzo di lire) alle cosiddette major, le industrie discografiche e cinematografiche che avevano intentato la causa. Assai meno rispetto alle pretese avanzate dalle major, 117 milioni di corone (10,6 milioni di euro, cioè circa 20 miliardi di lire) a titolo di risarcimento e interessi per le perdite asseritamente causate loro dalla sterminata quantità di download di file attraverso il sito, ma coincidente con quanto indicato dal pubblico ministero nella requisitoria.

The Pirate Bay (spesso abbreviato "TPB") non ospita in realtà i contenuti contestati, ma li rende disponibili attraverso link a file scaricabili con il software di condivisione BitTorrent (che resta perfettamente legale).

Su questo si è perciò basata la difesa degli imputati, affermando che non è possibile attribuire ad essi la responsabilità delle azioni degli utenti del sito, ma la corte ha dato loro torto, ritenendo che con la programmazione, la gestione ed il finanziamento del sito gli utenti siano stati "incentivati" a violare le norme sul copyright.

Fra le compagnie che avevano portato in tribunale i quattro, ci sono - ricorda Reuters - Warner Bros. (che sta lanciando un videogame per iPod dal suggestivo titolo di "Justice is coming", "la giustizia sta per arrivare"), MGM, Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox Films, Sony BMG, Universal e EMI.

Proprio il giorno prima della sentenza, a poca distanza dal palazzo di giustizia dove si stavano per decidere le sorti del principale sito al mondo di file-sharing, paradossalmente il museo della Tecnica di Stoccolma nel frattempo accoglieva nel suo repertorio uno dei server che erano stati già sequestrati a Pirate Bay. Come riferito da La Stampa, secondo Nils Olander, che dirige la prestigiosa istituzione, si tratta di "un oggetto della società contemporanea, e i musei collezionano questo genere di oggetti. Fa parte della missione istituzionale e non si possono evitare le questioni spinose".

Nessun commento personale ancora sul blog personale di Peter Sunde, fermo ad un post del giorno precedente la sentenza e riguardante critiche al modo in cui alcune testate giornalistiche, in particolare il canale televisivo svedese TV4, hanno dato il coverage della vicenda. Invece nella home page di TPB c'è un lungo video di commento alla sentenza, definita "crazy", in una sorta di anticonvenzionale conferenza stampa; insieme alla nota che, come nei migliori film, i "buoni" all'inizio perdono, ma vincono alla fine. BBC riferisce che Sunde, il quale aveva detto ad un giornalista britannico che TPB è come Google (limitandosi a linkare riferimenti esterni), non può e non vuole pagare quanto ordinatogli, e che ha scritto su Twitter che nulla accadrà a TPB, si tratterebbe solo di "teatro per i media". Sempre la stessa testata riporta anche la posizione delle major, impersonate dal responsabile della International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, che per ventura si chiama John Kennedy: TPB non starebbe sostenendo posizioni di principio, ma i quattro imputati sarebbero, senza meritorietà, intenti a curare gli interessi delle proprie tasche.

The Pirate Bay era stato reso irraggiungibile dall'Italia nell'agosto 2008 per disposizione della procura di Bergamo, provocando una piccata risposta pubblica del sito intitolata "Uno stato fascista censura Pirate Bay".


Swiss court rules in favor of American account holder

An American client of Switzerland-based bank, UBS, has won an appeal in Swiss court on Friday against providing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States with relevant information about his offshore accounts.

The Swiss court ruled that the man's failure to complete an IRS tax form, no matter how much money it pertained to, was not in itself fraudulent behavior.  The case calls into question an agreement made between Switzerland and the United States last year in which Swiss tax authorities would supply the IRS with information on nearly 4,500 suspected tax evaders and their respective accounts.

A further twenty-five similar cases are still pending; the verdicts of which may be influenced by this precedent-setting case.

The Swiss government will meet next Wednesday to discuss  how to better implement last year's Swiss-US banking accord. As it pertains to the case at hand, if they so choose, Swiss tax officials can file a further appeal petitioning the court's decision.

UBS and the US Department of Justice both have yet to comment on the matter.

According to the US government, UBS is "hiding" over US$15 billion in assets on behalf of American account holders.


Suisse : coup d'arrêt à la procédure d'entraide avec les États-Unis sur l'affaire UBS

Le Tribunal administratif fédéral suisse a accepté vendredi le recours d'une contribuable américaine en réduisant l'accord extrajudiciaire signé l'été dernier entre les deux pays pour régler le litige opposant la banque UBS au fisc américain. Cette décision, qui désavoue directement le Conseil fédéral, a des conséquences directes sur plus de 4 200 dossiers, parmi les quelque 4 500 cas en suspens.

Selon un communiqué de presse publié par le Tribunal, cette décision constitue une « décision pilote », car elle ne peut plus être attaquée en recours au Tribunal fédéral. Elle précise que l'accord signé entre les deux pays en août 2009 n'a qu'une portée « aimable » et ne peut ni modifier, ni compléter la convention de double imposition signée entre la Suisse et les États-Unis, qui fait spécifiquement la distinction entre soustraction fiscale et fraude fiscale. Dans le cas présent, la contribuable américaine n'avait pas envoyé au fisc de son pays un document sur lequel elle aurait du déclarer son compte à l'étranger (formulaire W-9). Pour le tribunal, une « simple absence de déclaration » n'est pas une fraude, ce qui ne peut donc pas justifier une demande d'entraide administrative, et ce quelles que soient les sommes en jeu.

Dans l'immédiat, le Tribunal demande à l'administration fédérale de reconsidérer son choix pour les quelques 4 200 cas identiques. De son côté, le Conseil fédéral s'est contenté de prendre acte de la décision, tout en rappelant que cet accord avait été accepté par le gouvernement « après avoir pris en compte l'avis d'experts ». Parmi les réactions politiques, le Parti socialiste et Les Verts demandent la mise en place d'une commission d'enquête parlementaire pour faire toute la lumière sur cette affaire et redonner confiance dans l'État de droit. Les partis de droite, pour leur part, se réjouissent du renforcement du secret bancaire ainsi obtenu.

Enfin, ni l'autorité de surveillance des marchés financiers[1], ni l'association suisse des banquiers n'ont publiquement réagi.


Swiss millionaire gets record speeding fine

A court in the eastern Swiss canton of St. Gallen has imposed a world record speeding fine of 299,000 Swiss francs (US$290,000). The repeat offender drove his Ferrari Testarossa through a village at up to 137 km/h (86 mph), when the speed limit was 80 km/h (50 mph).

Swiss courts calculate their fines on the principle that they are proportionate to the person's wealth. The driver was assessed to have assets worth 23.3 million francs (US$22.7m), including a villa with a garage containing five luxury cars. He was initially fined 90,000 francs, but claimed to be a diplomat from the Republic of Guinea-Bissau which would have given him diplomatic immunity from prosecution.

A court accepted his claim and annulled the fine, but when he later failed to provide evidence of his diplomatic status he was summoned to the Cantonal Court of St. Gallen, and consequently was fined 299,000 francs. In its judgement the court stated: “The accused ignored elementary traffic rules with a powerful vehicle out of a pure desire for speed.”

This fine far exceeds the previous record, imposed on a Porsche driver in Zürich in 2008, of 111,000 francs.


Suisse : un millionnaire condamné à une amende record pour excès de vitesse

Un tribunal du canton de Saint-Gall, dans l'est de la Suisse, a établi un record du monde en condamnant l'auteur d'un excès de vitesse à une amende de 299 000 francs suisses[1]. Le contrevenant avait conduit sa Ferrari Testarossa dans une localité à 137 km/h, alors que la vitesse était limitée à 80 km/h.

Les tribunaux suisses calculent le montant des amendes sur la base d'un principe de proportionnalité par rapport à l'état financier de l'accusé. En l'occurrence, la fortune du conducteur a été évaluée à 23,3 millions de francs suisses[2], en incluant une villa avec un garage comprenant cinq voitures de luxe. Il a été initialement condamné à 90 000 francs suisses d'amende, mais a revendiqué son immunité diplomatique, que la République de Guinée-Bissau lui a effectivement conférée à l'occasion de cette procédure.

Un tribunal a reçu sa plainte, et annulé l'amende initiale, mais lorsque, par la suite, l'accusé, dénommé Roland S., selon le journal 20 minutes, n'est pas parvenu à prouver l'existence de son statut diplomatique, et donc de l'immunité qui l'accompagne, il a été convoqué par le tribunal de Saint-Gall, qui l'a finalement condamné à une amende de 299 000 francs suisses. Dans son jugement, la juridiction a indiqué : « l'accusé a délibérément ignoré les règles élémentaires du code de la route afin, avec son véhicule performant, de satisfaire son désir de vitesse ».

Cette amende dépasse de près du triple le précédent record : en 2008, à Zurich, le conducteur d'une Porsche avait été condamné à une contravention de 111 000 francs suisses.


Swiss mountaineer Erhard Loretan dies in climbing accident

Acclaimed Swiss mountaineer Erhard Loretan died Thursday on his 52nd birthday  when he fell in a climbing accident.

According to Swiss police, Loretan was climbing with a client to the summit of Gruenhor, a 4,043 meter peak in the Bernese Alps, when both fell for unknown reasons from a height of  around 3,800 metres. He was killed immediately while his client was hospitalized in serious condition.

Loretan, originally from  Fribourg, was eleven years old when he began climbing. In 1982, he  climbed his first 8,000-meter peak,  Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. He  was the third person to summit all fourteen of the world's 8,000-meter peaks, which he accomplished by the age of 36. This confirmed his reputation as one of the world's top mountain climbers.  In 1986 he ascended Mt. Everest in 40 hours without using supplementary oxygen, a feat that astonished other mountain climbers.

Saying that he was essentially a solitary person, he told a Trento film festival in a video posted on its web site last year, "First of all I’d like to thank the mountains, for almost 40 years they have allowed me to climb, and with this passion I’ve lived an extraordinary life up to now, that’s why I’d like to thank them."

He added, "I now want to share this passion more with others, and it’s because of this that being a mountain guide is a good profession because you can help someone who dreams about climbing mountains. This is something very beautiful."

In 2001 his personal life was marred by a manslaughter charge  for shaking to death his seven-month old son to stop him from crying. He plead guilty in 2003 and received a four-month suspended sentence.  The case ignited a debate in Switzerland over shaking babies.


Погинуо алпиниста Ерхард Лоретан

30. април 2011.Женева/ Швајцарска (Beta-AP) - Швајцарски алпиниста Ерхард Лоретан, један од ретких који се попео на свих 14 врхова виших од 8.000 метара, погинуо је на свој рођендан - тако што је пао у провалију док се у Бернским Алпима верао уз један гребен.

Како је саопштила швајцарска полиција, Лоретан је страдао у четвртак око поднева док се као планински водич пењао са клијентом уз гребен врха Гринхорн, који је висок 4.043 метра. Њих двојица су користила канапе за завршни успон, а онда су из непознатих разлога пали кад су били на 3.800 метара висине.

Лоретан (52) је погинуо на месту, а његов клијент стар 38 година пребачен је у болницу у тешком стању, саопштила је полиција швајцарског кантона Вале.

Лоретан, које је рођен у кантону Фрајбург, почео је да се пење кад је имао 11 година, а свој први врх виши од 8.000 метара - тешко савладиви Нанга Парбат у Пакистану - освојио је 1982. године. На Монт Еверест, највиши врх на планети, попео се 1986. године, и том приликом задивио је свет брзим успоном без боце са кисеоником - тај подвиг је извео за само 40 сати и доспео на насловне стране светске штампе.


Switzerland: charges dropped in the Aubonne bridge affair

Nyon — The prosecutor did not withhold complains for "simple" and "severe" physical harm by negligence against gendarmes Poget and Deiss in the trial of the Aubonne Bridge affair. Verdict will be given of Friday in the morning.

On the 1st of June 2003, during the G8, a 19-person group of altermondialist militants held an illegal barricade, without notice, on the highway bridge which crosses the Aubonne river.

A rope was put across the road: at one end, 20 metres above the river, militant Martin Shaw had tied himself; the rope would get up to the bridge, loop around the barrier, bar the road, loop again at the other barrier, and get down to its other end, with militant Gesine Wenzel.

The rope was protected by two barrages of militantes and by posters reading "Do not shoot", and "Stop here or you will kill two people" (photo [1]). Neither Wenzel not Shaw had any form of security system and the rope was not tied to the barriers; thus, the lives of the two militants depended on the integrity of the rope barring the road. Both activists were invisible from the road, unless looking over the barrier.

A dozen minutes afterward, the police arrived and tried to free the way for the 200 cars stalled by the blockade. The policemen saw the militants hanging at the end of the rope, and thus tried to have the cars drive below the rope by lifting it. Then, 25-year old gendarme Deiss, from Schaffouse, moved in and cut the rope with his knife. Gesine Wenzel was saved in extremis and pulled onto the bridge, shocked. Martin Shaw fell 20 metres into the shallow river, suffering severe injuries to his spine and several fractures; he had to spent one full month in hospital to recover, and still suffers from his wounds.

Deiss did not speak any French (the indident took place in the French-speaking part of Switzerland) and was unaware of the presence of the militants; sergeant Poget was responsible for the intervention of the police. The plaintifs requested that Poget and Deiss be convicted for simple (for Wenzel) and severe (for Shaw) injuries by negligence.

The plaintifs argued that the policemen had not tried to discuss with the activists and were not properly coordinated.

The clause of "rupture of causality links", which describes cases where things cannot be predicted, does not apply here because once the situation was assessed, it was the duty of the policemen to warn their colleagues.

Maître Garbade, lawyer of the plaintifs, also underlined the risks of being softer with the police and of the feeling of impunity which could follow. Since policement are typically confronted to delinquents, he said, their errors bring to context the offences committed by their victims, which tends to induce clemency for them (in this matter, the activists were trialed and convicted for blocking traffic circulation).

He also mentionned the difficulty of the investigation; the police was tempted to negate that a policeman had cut the rope, refused to aknowledge some testimonies, and gave immediate psychological support to Deiss, which was not done for the victims. "I do not believe that this trial would have taken place if it was not for the two video recordings", he said.

Maître Garbade went on saying that it was common sense to check the end of a rope before cutting it and requested that Poget and Deiss be convicted for simple (for Wenzel) and severe (for Shaw) injuries by negligence.

M. Stoll, first substitute to the procuror, warned against the "myth of police impunity" and argued that he had recently requested and obtained conviction of two policemen. "Then are no preferences within the prosecution," he said.

The prosecution went on arguing that the "rupture of causality links" did in fact apply, since the time between Poget realising the situation and Deiss cutting the rope was very brief (one minute). Absence of dialogue between the policemen and the militants was understandable because the protest was unexpected, illegal and dangerous (the activists had blocked the highway without adequate signs warning the motorists).

The confused messages of the posters were also alluded to "Do not shoot" and "Stop here or you will kill two people", while a simple drawing of two people hanging from a bridge would have make the situation instantaneously clear for everybody; such drawings are featured on the web site of the activists.

The prosecution conclued saying that the "most probable cause" of the accident was the protest itself, and dropped the charges.


Suisse : Le ministère public abandonne l'accusation dans l'affaire du pont de l'Aubonne

Nyon : Lors des plaidoiries qui ont eu lieu hier au tribunal d'arrondissement de la Côte, à Nyon (Suisse), le ministère public a abandonné les accusations de lésions corporelles simples par négligence et de lésions corporelles graves par négligence à l'encontre des gendarmes Poget et Deiss.

Le verdict sera rendu vendredi en fin de matinée.

Le 1er juin 2003, en plein sommet du G8, un groupe de 19 militants altermondialistes établit un barrage sauvage sur le pont d'autoroute qui enjambe la rivière Aubonne.

Une corde est établie au travers de la route : à l'une de ses extrémités, qui pend à 20 mètres au-dessus de la rivière, le militant Martin Shaw est attaché ; la corde remonte jusqu'au pont, fait un tour autour de la rambarde, barre les voies de l'autoroute, fait un nouveau tour autour de l'autre garde-fou, et plonge dans le vide jusqu'à son autre extrémité, où la militante Gesine Wenzel est attachée.

La corde est protégée par deux barrages de militants et par des banderoles portant les mots "ne tirez pas" et "Arrêtez ici ou vous tuez deux personnes" (photo [1]). Ni Wenzel, ni Shaw ne sont alors assurés, et la corde n'est pas nouée aux barrières, de sorte que leur vie dépend effectivement de l'intégrité de la corde qui barre le pont. Les deux militants sont invisibles depuis la route à moins que l'on ne se penche par-dessus le garde-fou.

Après une dizaine de minutes, la gendarmerie intervient et tente de dégager des barrages de manifestants ; apercevant les deux militants suspendus à la corde, les gendarmes tentent de faire circuler les voitures en la soulevant ; c'est alors que Deiss, gendarme schaffhousois de 25 ans, s'approche de la corde et la sectionne. Gesine Wenzel est rattrapée in extremis et sera finalement hissée sur le pont ; Martin Shaw, quand à lui, fait une chute de 20 mètres qui lui cause de multiples fractures et des atteintes à la colonne vertébrale, et lui vaudra un mois complet d'hôpital. Il souffre encore aujourd'hui des séquelles de ces blessures.

Deiss ne parlait pas le français et ignorait la nature du danger ; le sergent Poget avait la responsabilité de l'intervention des forces de l'ordre. Les parties civiles demandent que soient reconnues des lésions simples (pour Wenzel) et grave (pour Shaw) par négligence.

Les parties civiles ont argué de l'absence de volonté de dialogue de la part des policiers à l'égard des manifestants et du manque de coordination des policiers entre eux.

La clause de "rupture du lien de causalité", qui caractérise l'enchaînement des événements dans des situations imprévisibles, ne jouerait plus, en l'occurence, une fois la situation constatée : s'il n'était pas prévisible que des militants se pendent à une corde, ceux qui avaient constaté le fait avaient le devoir de le communiquer à leurs collègues.

Maître Garbade, avocat des parties civiles, a également souligné le danger d'une complaisance envers la police et du sentiment d'impunité qui peut en découler. Les policiers étant typiquement confrontés à des délinquants, leurs erreurs rappellent les fautes commises par les victimes, processus qui incite à la clémence à leur égard (en l'occurence, les militants ont été jugés et condamnés pour entrave à la circulation).

Il a également argué de tracasseries lors de l'instruction : tentation de nier que ce fût un policier qui avait coupé la corde, refus d'enregistrer certains témoignages, et l'octroît immédiat d'une cellule psychologique pour le gendarme Deiss alors que la même chose n'a pas été faite pour les victimes. "Je ne m'imagine pas qu'il y aurait eu ce procès s'il n'y avait pas eu ces deux vidéos", a-t-il déclaré.

Maître Garbade a poursuivi en plaidant qu'il était de bon sens de vérifier ce qu'il y avait au bout de la corde avant de la couper, avant de requérir la reconnaissance de lésions corporelle simples par négligence dans le cas de Wenzel, et de lésions corporelle grave  par négligence dans le cas de Shaw.

M. Stoll, premier substitut du procureur, a commencé par mettre en garde contre le "mythe de l'impunité policière", déclarant avoir récemment requis et obtenu la condamnation de deux policiers. "Il n'y a pas de préférences dans le ministère public", a-t-il déclaré.

Le ministère public a ensuite reconnu que la clause de "rupture du lien de causalité" s'appliquait bien, arguant du temps très court (une minute) séparant le moment où le sergent Poget comprend la situation de celui où Deiss tranche la corde. L'absence de dialogue entre policiers et manifestants serait compréhensible à cause du caractère imprévu, illégal et dangeureux de la manifestation (les manifestants ayant bloqué une autoroute sans préavis et sans signalisation).

Il a aussi été évoqué le caractère confus des banderoles ("ne tirez pas" et "Arrêtez ici ou vous tuez deux personnes"), alors qu'un dessin stylisé représentant deux personnes pendues de part et d'autre d'un pont, auraient mis tout le monde instantanément au courant de la situation, et que des dessins semblables constituent le logo du site Internet des manifestants.

Le ministère public a conclu en rappelant le caractère imprévisible de l'événement, a argué que "cause la plus probable" de l'accident était la manifestation elle-même, avant d'abandonner l'accusation.

Outre les faits avancés par le ministère public, la défense du sergent Poget a insisté sur le caractère politisé du procés, rappelé par le site Internet des plaigants et leurs démonstrations à la presse.

Elle a insisté sur le caractère inédit de l'action des manifestants (c'était en effet la première fois que des militants se suspendaient à des cordes en dehors de toute visibilité, les précédentes actions semblables accordaient une grande visibilité aux militants enchaînés) et sur l'"amateurisme" des militants : un militant présenté comme "alpiniste chevroné" avait en fait été "entraîné par Greenpeace", mais n'avait plus pratiqué l'alpinisme depuis une dizaine d'année, et les médias n'avait pas été prévenus (pas même les médias altermondialistes, finalement arrivés sur place par hasard). Enfin, elle a mis en exergue l'"attitude de kamikaze" des militants.

Citant le professeur Moreillon, la défense a entrepris d'écarter la responsabilité juridique des gendarmes en utilisant la notion de "garant", rôle qui incombe en règle général à la police, mais qui peut retomber sur les acteurs d'un événement s'il est illégal et dangereux.

La défense du gendarme Deiss a repris essentiellement ces arguments, parlant d'un "amateurisme qui fait froid dans le dos", et rejetant la responsabilité sur les militants : "c'est le monde à l'envers ! (...) voir ceux qui ont commis toutes les imprévoyances possibles accuser de négligeance ceux qui devaient parer leurs propres négligences".

L'avocat a encore insisté sur la difficulté d'apprécier la conduite du gendarme a posteriori, puisque l'on sait quelles allaient être les conséquences de son geste, chose dont lui ne pouvait se douter.

En réplique aux plaidoiries de la défense, maître Garbade a souligné que la mission de la police constistait en la sécurité des personnes avant le maintien de l'ordre, y compris la sécurité de délinquants.


Switzerland: Policemen acquitted in the Aubonne bridge affair

Nyon — After the prosecution dropped the charges on Wednesday, the local tribunal of Nyon pronounced a double acquittement for sergeant Poget and gendarme Deiss (previous story and facts) — Original Reporting

The 23-page judgement, particularly long for such an affair, was pronounced by the president on Friday at 11:45.

Acknowledging the lasting physical and psychological harm caused to Shaw and Wenzel, the tribunal reacted to the deliberate will to turn the trial into a political tribune: "The tribunal is not the control authority for the police", the president reminded. He ruled out any commentary about preliminary investigations, which had been subject to the criticism of Maître Gerbade, attorney for the plaintiffs, during his requisitory.

The judging underlines the non-violence of the alter-globalisation  militants, who "cannot be compared to the vandals" who has made a rampage in Geneva and Lausanne the same day. He also reminded a particularly difficult context for the policemen, who were facing their 4th important intervention of the morning. A filling station had notably been put to fire, fortunately without any harm to people. The tribunal also specifically quoted Indymedia, which it said is an "honourable source".

Reminders of facts insisted on several points:

The militant who was acting as a sentry to protect the rope was not forcibly evacuated by the police, but rather left her station on her own will, in an attempt to interdict the passage of cars under the rope, then lifted by the police.

"One minute and ten seconds" at most passed before the rope was cut by Deiss, one minute of "confusion and general mess", according to the court.

Several policemen were tempted to cut the rope to allow the passage of cars and remove the blocking of the highway, but were told not to do so by a sergeant; thus, cutting the rope seems to be what one would naturally be tempted to do, according to the Court.

The numerous cars stranded on the highway because of the blockade were a risk of major accident; the drivers were infuriated by the stop and the radio was reporting the unrest in Lausanne and Geneva, creating and atmosphere of stress and fear, according the president.

The warnings put by the militants ("do not shoot" and "Stop here or you will kill two people") were seen by the Court as "ambiguous" at best, and "incomprehensible" at worst, since the militants were sitting on the highway, a dangerous place where their own lives were in jeopardy.

"As a consequence, noting can be reproached to the policemen", the president said. "Bullshit", shouted Shaw, who then rose, and barred the room with a poster reading "Police everywhere, justice nowhere"; after insulting the tribunal, the militants and their friend in the audience left in much turmoil, letting the President free to proceed.

The accident occurred as a "series of misunderstandings" and of unlucky causes. Confronted to a completely new situation (no such event had ever occurred then), the policemen acted for what they though was the best interest of the militants and the users of the highway. Denying any will to call the attention of the offence committed by the plaintiffs, the Court however the lack of security rope, of signals, of notification to the authorities and the possibility for the militants to rope themselves at 4 or 5 metres high rather than 25.

In conclusion, the Court pronounced acquittement for Poget, acquittement for Deiss, the payement of the spendings of Justice by the State, and the restitution of the evidences to the parties.

Even before the audience, in anticipation of the verdict, the militants protested in front of the courthouse, brandishing posters ("Your cops are your responsibility") and mocking the Court.

In addition to the noisy events of the court room, Shaw also gave much talking after exiting the courthouse, criticising the Justice of the canont of Vaud: "The whole system is corrupted from bottom to top", he said. He complained that it is not possible to obtain justice in Switzerland.

A press conference followed. The commucation to the press on the site of the militants calls of "direct action".


Suisse: double acquittement dans l'affaire du pont de l'Aubonne


Sydney Opera House 'No War' activists face court for paint cans

Two activists convicted for painting the words "NO WAR" in five-metre-high red letters on the highest sail of Sydney Opera House in March 2003, are facing court action again to prevent them from auctioning the equipment used to paint the controversial sign.

Dr Will Saunders and David Burgess were sentenced to nine months periodic detention and ordered to pay the Opera House Trust $151,000 for malicious damage to the building on March 18, 2003.

The pair spent six months in jail for painting the slogan on one of the sails of the Opera House on the eve of the invasion of Iraq. The protesters say they wish to auction the equipment for humanitarian causes in Iraq.

Police confiscated the paint can and two brushes used in the incident and have now applied for a court order to have the can and brushes destroyed. They are saying such an auction would contravene proceeds of crime laws.

Saunders said they wanted to auction the can and send the proceeds to humanitarian causes in Iraq. According to The Australian newspaper, Mr Saunders said the auction could be conducted by a registered charity to raise money for the Mother and Child Hospital in Basra.

He said the can should also be preserved as an important piece of Sydney history.

"We want to give the surplus money that we've raised, and anything extra we can make from an auction – not only the paint pot ... I think we can raise many many thousands of dollars," he said. "We'd be happy to come to any reasonable arrangement with the police about how this auction takes place ... it's just mean beyond belief, petty-minded just to destroy it."

The matter will go before a Sydney court on January 16.

Meanwhile, the world-famous Sydney Opera House is one of 21 international landmarks short-listed to become the new Seven Wonders of the World. The list includes modern landmarks such as Paris' Eiffel Tower and older candidates like the Colosseum in Rome and China's Great Wall.


Aktivister som målade 'No War' på Sydneys operahus inför rätta igen

Sydney –
Två aktivister som i mars 2003 målat orden "No War" på Sydneys berömda operahus med röda, fem meter höga bokstäver kommer att ställas inför rätta igen för att förhindra att de säljer den utrustning de använde vid aktionen på auktion.

Will Saunders och David Burgess dömdes till nio månaders fängelse och ett skadestånd på 151 000 dolar för den aktion som ägde rum den 18 mars 2003.

Aktionen ägde rum under inldeningen av kriget i Irak och sedan dess har de tillbringat sex månader i fängelse. Nu vill de sälja sin utrustning för att ge humanitärt bistånd till Irak.

Polisen konfiskerade målarärg och två penslar i smaband med aktionen och nu vänder man sig till domstol för att få dessa objekt kasserade. Man menar att en auktion av föremålen skulle motverka lagens intentioner.

Enligt Will Saunders vill man sälja en hink och låta förtjänsten gå till humanitär hjälp i Irak. Den australiensiska tidningen The Australian uppger att auktionen skulle kunna genomföras av en erkänd biståndsorganisation och ge pengar till ett sjukhus i staden Basra.

Saunders sa också att hinken borde bevaras som en del av Sydneys historia. "Vi hoppas att vi kommer att kunna komma överens med polisen om hur en auktion ska genomföras ... det är obegriplig småsint att förstöra [hinken]", säger han.

Rättegången inleds den 16 januari.

Sydneys operahus hör till världens mest berömda byggnader och har en stor symbolisk betydelse för staden.


Sydney racial violence continues

In a second night of racial violence in Sydney, residents have been bashed and property damaged throughout the eastern suburbs. Hundreds of men, some armed with guns and crowbars, damaged cars and businesses, and attacked people randomly. Five men have been arrested and charged.

Police called in riot equipment and extra officers saying car loads of people arrived in the area with many taking part in attacks on property. A witness said police with guns drawn arrested a number of people. There were reports of gunshots near North Cronulla beach, but police said there had been no shots fired.

Hundreds of men congregated around Lakemba Mosque at 4:30pm after rumours spread that it would be attacked. The men scuffled with police, and three officers received minor injuries.

There have been more reports of SMS messages promoting further violence against against the opposing parties circulating.

In an escalation of yesterday's conflict, up to 70 cars invaded Cronulla and Brighton-le-Sands on Monday night - following the vicious attacks by Cronulla locals on Sunday. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Twenty carloads of men arrived at Cronulla by about 10.30pm, smashing shops and cars and threatening people who got in their way.

A woman was reportedly stabbed in Carringbah. Four men attacked patrons of a Pizzeria, knocking a woman unconscious on the footpath and smashing windows. Around 100 Cronulla locals surrounded a car carrying men of Middle Eastern appearance. Police dispersed the mob and let the car escape.

At Brighton-Le-Sands, about 100 men in cars arrived in the area, throwing objects at cars and shops.
Mobs ripped out garbage bins, police dogs and helicopters were called as furious locals began to gather, threatening to take back the streets from "wogs and Lebanese". Police yelled at local residents to stay inside.

A police media release listed these assaults occurring:

Five men were arrested and charged. The men were from Guildford, Sandringham, Ashcroft, and Hurstville, and the charges included assault police, not comply with directions, driving in a manner dangerous, being in custody of a knife, assault, breach of bail, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray and malicious damage. The men charged were between 22 and 30 years of age.

Earlier, about 200 men had assembled outside a Mosque - some armed with pistols. The group said they had gathered to protect the Lakemba mosque because of a threatened attack on it by a gang from the southern beaches. Another group said they were preparing to travel to Maroubra Beach, where up to 300 locals, many armed with crowbars, waited for an arranged fight.

Police confiscated iron bars and other weapons and blocked roads around the mosque. About 20 police cars surrounded the mosque, where four men showed their pistols and ammunition to a news crew, and boasted that others were carrying arms. Police were pelted with rocks as the crowd dispersed, but no one was injured.

Amidst fears of a third night of violence in Sydney some 450 police officers have been deployed in the city to respond to any disturbances. The New South Wales Deputy Commissioner of Police Andrew Scipione says that while they have no specific intelligence, Police expect more unrest tonight. He has also said that if needed he will seek assistance from police in other states.

The New South Wales Parliament will be recalled from their Christmas-New Year holiday on Thursday 15 December, 2005 to pass legislation giving police the power to shut bottle shops and hotels, lock down areas and impound and search vehicles.

At present police in New South Wales can ask bottle shop and hotel owners close their doors but can not force them to do so.

Police are also investigating SMS messages calling on young Arabs to start another round of attacks at Cronulla Beach next Sunday.  Another congratulated Australians for the fight against the Lebanese, but called for more attacks. "We'll show them! It's on again Sunday," the message said.

A Usenet posting signed by an unknown entity "Action for Australia" is calling on Australians to become "True Blue Patriots" and rally on Australia Day in 2006. "We will assert our democratic right to march through the streets of Lakemba," the posting said.

Claiming that the Sydney suburbs of Bankstown and Lakemba are the true source of the "Lebanese and muslim trouble", they are wishing to arrange a march through Lakemba to demonstrate that "Australians wish to reclaim the streets".


Rassistische Ausschreitungen in Australien

Canberra (Australien), 12.12.2005 – Bei rassistischen Ausschreitungen in Australien sind am Wochenende des 10. und 11. Dezember 30 Menschen verletzt worden. Nachdem sich etwa 5.000 Menschen auf dem Strand von Cronulla versammelt hatten, die Nationalflaggen schwenkten und rassistische Lieder sangen, griffen sie fremdländisch arabisch aussehende Menschen an.

Daraufhin wurden 16 Menschen festgenommen. Der australische Ministerpräsident John Howard lehnte es in öffentlichen Stellungnahmen ab, die Teilnehmer an der Zusammenrottung Rassisten zu nennen. espace.ch zitiert ihn mit den Worten: „Das ist ein Begriff, mit dem so oft um sich geworfen wird, dass ich das nicht auch tun werde.“ Der Oppositionspolitiker Kevin Rudd wirft John Howard vor, den Kopf in den Sand zu stecken. Er kritisiert vor allem die Aussage Howards, die rassistischen Ausschreitungen würden das Ansehen Australiens nicht beschädigen. Peter Beattie, der Ministerpräsident von Queensland, sagte, dass sich die meisten Australier für die rassistischen Ausschreitungen schämten. Die Regierung von News South Wales will die Ausschreitungen mit der Anwendung eines Notstandsgesetzes, das der Polizei zusätzliche Rechte einräumt und zuletzt während der Olympischen Sommerspiele im Jahr 2000 angewandt wurde, beenden.


Disturbios raciales en la ciudad de Sydney

Graves disturbios raciales se presentaron el 11 de diciembre en Sydney, Australia cuando jóvenes anglosajones decidieron atacar a la policía y asaltar a toda persona de apariencia árabe que se aproximara a las playas de Cronulla y Maroubra al sudeste de la ciudad.

Los disturbios se originaron a raíz de la noticia de que un joven de origen libanés había golpeado a uno de los salvavidas de la playa de Cronulla el fin de semana inmediatamente anterior. Los jóvenes de la localidad de Cronulla decidieron entonces formar patrullas para impedir que "forasteros" se aproximaran a las playas del sector y atacaron a dos jóvenes de origen libanés que se acercaron a la playa. Este hecho fue ampliamente difundido por la televisión australiana, causando estupor en la comunidad libanesa cuyos jóvenes reaccionaron concurriendo masivamente al sector generando una escalada del conflicto. El día domingo, aproximadamente 5.000 jóvenes que cantaban lemas racistas se habían agrupado para impedir el paso de los "wogs", como despectivamente se denomina a las personas no anglosajonas.

El primer ministro, John Howard, inmediatamente condenó los incidentes advirtiendo que "atacar personas con base en su raza, apariencia o su origen étnico es totalmente inaceptable y debe por lo tanto ser objeto de repudio por todos los australianos sin importar su origen ni su afiliación política".

Existe temor entre las autoridades de que se dé un empeoramiento de los desórdenes al detectarse que los jóvenes de uno y otro bando se están enviando mensajes de texto vía celular en los cuales se planea de un lado atacar la mezquitas y del otro extender los disturbios a otros suburbios para vengar los asaltos a la comunidad libanesa.


Les violences raciales continuent à Sydney (Australie)

C'est la seconde nuit de violence raciale à Sydney (Australie) dans les banlieues de l'est de la ville. Des habitants ont été battus, des déprédations ont eu lieu. Des centaines d'hommes, certains armés de pistolets ou de barres de fer ont endommagé des voitures et des magasins, et attaqué des personnes au hasard. Cinq hommes ont été arrêtés et mis en examen ("charged").

La police a demandé de l'équipement anti-émeute et des renforts pour faire face à l'arrivée de voitures chargées de gens venant prendre part aux pillages. Un témoin a indiqué que la police, pistolet à la main, arrêtait de nombreuses personnes. Des coups de feu auraient été entendus près de la plage de Cronulla mais la police a indiqué qu'aucun coup de feu n'avait été tiré.

Des centaines d'hommes se sont réunis autour de la mosquée Lakemba vers 16 heures 30 après la diffusion de rumeurs d'attaque sur le bâtiment. Les hommes se sont frottés  ("scuffled ") à la police qui compte trois blessés mineurs.

Il semblerait que de nombreux SMS circuleraient.

À la suite de l'escalade de violence de la veille,  près de 70 voitures ont envahi Cronulla et Brighton-le-Sands lundi soir . Selon le journal Sydney Morning Herald, une vingtaine de voitures chargées d'hommes sont arrivées à Cronulla vers 22 heures 30, cassant des vitrines et des voitures, effrayant des passants sur leur chemin.

Une femme aurait été battue à Carringbah. 4 hommes aurait attaqué les clients d'une pizzeria, assommant une femme et brisant les fenêtres. Environ 100 habitants de Cronulla ont bloqué une voiture transportant des hommes d'apparence moyenne orientale. La police a dispersé la foule et la voiture a pu continuer.

Environ 100 hommes sont arrivés à Brighton-Le-Sands, jetant des objets sur les voitures et les magasins. La foule a renversé les poubelles, des chiens policiers et des hélicoptères ont été appelés lorsque les habitants ont commencé à vouloir reprendre les rues aux "wogs and Lebanese". La police a demandé aux habitants de rester chez eux.

Le service de presse de la police a rendu public une liste de personnes agressées :

Cinq hommes ont été arrêtés et inculpés. Ces hommes sont de Guildford, Sandringham, Ashcroft, et Hurstville. L'inculpation concerne : l'attaque de policiers, désobéissance, conduite dangereuse de voiture, port de couteau... Les hommes ont entre 22 et 30 ans.

Plus tôt, environ 200 hommes se sont réunis en dehors de la mosquée, certains armés de pistolets. Le groupe a déclaré vouloir protéger la mosquée contre les attaques d'un gang venant des plages du Sud. Un autre groupe a indiqué qu'il se dirigeait vers la plage Maroubra où un groupe de 300 habitants les attendaient pour un combat.

La police a confisqué les barres de fer et les autres armes bloquant les routes autour de la mosquée avec une vingtaine de voitures de polices pendant que 4 hommes montraient leurs armes à une équipe de presse. La police a été la cible de jets de pierre durant la dispersion de la foule mais personne n'a été blessé.

Pour empêcher une 3ème nuit de violence dans Sydney, près de 450 policiers ont été déployés dans la ville pour répondre en cas d'agitation. Andrew Scipione, le chef de la police de Nouvelle-Galles du Sud a indiqué qu'il n'avait pas d'informations particulières mais que la police prévoyait encore de l'agitation pour la nuit. Il aussi indiqué, que si le besoin s'en faisait sentir il ferait appel à la police d'autres états.

Le parlement de Nouvelle-Galles du Sud sera rappelé de ses vacances de fin d'année le 15 décembre prochain pour voter un texte donnant à la police le pouvoir de fermer les magasins vendant de l'alcool , des hôtels et des quartiers et d'arrêter et fouiller des véhicules.
Actuellement la police de Nouvelle Galle du Sud peut demander à un propriétaire de fermer ses portes mais ne peut pas le forcer à le faire.

La police enquête sur des messages SMS appelant les jeunes arabes à attaquer la plage de Cronulla dimanche prochain. Un autre message félicite les australiens pour leur combat contre les libanais et appel à d'autres attaques. "Nous leur montrerons! À DIMANCHE POUR LA SUITE !  dit le message.( "We'll show them! It's on again Sunday,")

Un message sur  Usenet signé par une organisation inconnue "Action pour l'Australia", demande aux australiens de devenir des "True Blue Patriots" et de venir aux Journées pour l'Australie. "Nous exercerons notre droit démocratique à marcher dans les rues de Lakemba" dit le message proclamant que les banlieues de Bankstown et de Lakemba sont les vraies sources des "troubles musulmans et libanais". Ils veulent organiser une marche à travers Lakemba pour montrer que les "australiens veulent reprendre leurs rues".