Russian investigators on Wednesday formally charged two of 30 Greenpeace campaigners detained for two months over an open-sea protest against Arctic oil drilling with piracy, an activist said.

"The first two activists have been charged with piracy," Mikhail Kreindlin, a representative of Greenpeace, told AFP. "These activists are from Brazil and Britain."

President Vladimir Putin last week raised hopes that the activists would face lesser charges when he said that they "are not pirates", but had nonetheless broken international law by protesting close to a Russian oil rig.

Published: 02 October 2013

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European stock markets slid Monday after heavy falls in Tokyo, as investors reacted to a budgetary impasse in Washington and political unease in Italy, sending the country's bank shares crashing.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index dropped 0.67 percent to 6,468.75 points in morning deals, the CAC 40 in Paris shed 0.87 percent to 4,150.44 points and Frankfurt's DAX 30 declined 0.64 percent to 8,606.18.

In Italy, the FTSE Mib lost 1.56 percent to 17,371.47 points compared with Friday's closing value.

The rate of return demanded by investors on 10-year Italian government bonds meanwhile rose to 4.598 percent from 4.416 percent on Friday.

"On the continent, the real story centres around the heavyweight Italian banks, with Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo dropping more than four percent at the open as the farcical political situation causes further wobbles for the Italian markets," said CMC Markets trader Nick Dale-Lace.

Recession-hit Italy is braced for a showdown between Prime Minister Enrico Letta and billionaire tycoon Silvio Berlusconi.

After weeks of bickering, Berlusconi on Saturday said he was pulling his party's five ministers out of a fragile coalition government with the left and called for early elections as soon as possible for the embattled eurozone nation.

In reaction, the euro was down to $1.3498 from $1.3519 late on Friday in New York. The dollar slid to 97.81 yen from 98.24 Friday.

Tokyo's stock market dived 2.06 percent on Monday as the dollar dropped sharply against the yen on concerns about a budgetary stand-off in Washington that threatens to shut down parts of the government.

Published: 30 September 2013

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Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels on Saturday claimed responsibility for an attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, saying on Twitter it was in retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia.

"The Mujahideen entered #Westgate Mall today at around noon and are still inside the mall, fighting the #Kenyan Kuffar (infidels) inside their own turf," the Islamist militants said on Twitter.

"What Kenyans are witnessing at #Westgate is retributive justice for crimes committed by their military," the group said.

Shebab claimed that its fighters had killed 100 people in the attack.

Published: 21 September 2013

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Western powers were poised Tuesday to press their efforts for a UN resolution to rid Syria of chemical weapons, one day after a report by the world body describing a "chilling" sarin gas attack there.

United Nations experts, without assigning blame, said they had gathered "clear and convincing evidence" that surface-to-surface rockets took sarin gas into the opposition-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta on August 21.

The United States had threatened a military strike on Syria over the attack, which it said killed more than 1,400 people.

Washington said responsibility for the attack rests squarely with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said there was "no doubt" that government forces were to blame, while British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the report made "abundantly clear" that the Syrian regime was behind the attack."The technical details of the UN report make clear that only the regime could have carried out this large-scale chemical weapons attack," said Washington's UN ambassador Samantha Power. "It defies logic to think that the opposition would have infiltrated the regime-controlled area to fire on opposition-controlled areas."

France and Britain will soon send a draft resolution to other Security Council members demanding a threat of sanctions if Assad does not keep to a disarmament plan and for the chemical attacks to be referred to the International Criminal Court, diplomats said.

The council, meanwhile, is expected to start negotiations this week.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria as "a war crime" as the country's conflict again spilled into neighboring nations, with Turkey saying it had shot down a Syrian military helicopter.

Ban said the report prepared by the experts "makes for chilling reading.

He added that the use of sarin had been proved "unequivocally and objectively" and that the Ghouta attack was "the most significant" with chemical weapons since Saddam Hussein unleashed poison gas in Halabja, Iraq, in 1988, killing thousands.

"The environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used" in Ghouta, said the report by UN inspectors who were in Syria when the attack was staged.

The experts concluded that "chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilians including children on a relatively large scale."

A separate UN-mandated independent human rights inquiry announced separately on Monday that it was investigating 14 alleged chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

Ban would not say on Monday who had carried out the attack."We may all have our own thoughts on this, but I would simply say that this was a grave crime and those responsible must be brought to justice as soon as possible," Ban told reporters.

On Friday, he said Assad had "committed many crimes against humanity."

While the United States, Britain and France all insist that the findings show Assad's forces had used the weapons, Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said after a Security Council meeting on the report that there should be more investigation into who was responsible.

Moscow has sided with Assad in blaming opposition rebels for the chemical assault.

The UN experts' report will now become a key weapon in a Security Council battle over how much of a threat must be made against Assad to make him disarm.

The French, US and British foreign ministers called for a "strong" resolution after a meeting in Paris.

Published: 17 September 2013

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Iran's foreign minister said on Facebook that Tehran condemns the World War II Nazi massacre of the Jews, in stark contract to Holocaust denials by former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"We condemn the massacre of Jews by the Nazis, and we condemn the massacre of Palestinians by the Zionists," Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Facebook page, where he published the text of an interview he gave to the Tasnim news agency.

Zarif was also asked whether he wished Jews "Happy Rosh Hashanah" (new year), and had had an exchange about the Holocaust on Twitter.

"I replied to a question from a person who appeared to be the daughter of the ex-speaker of the US House of Representatives," Nancy Pelosi, he wrote.

On his recently activated Twitter account, Zarif wrote in English "Happy Rosh Hashanah," and Christine Pelosi replied, thanking him.

"Thanks. The new year would be even sweeter if you would end Iran's Holocaust denial, sir," she wrote.

Zarif replied: "Iran never denied it (the Holocaust). The man who was perceived to be denying it is now gone. Happy New Year."

Tehran does not recognise Israel and Ahmadinejad's eight years in office were filled with anti-Israeli diatribes and denial of the Holocaust.

The controversial Ahmadinejad was succeeded as president by Hassan Rowhani, who won a surprise election victory over five conservatives on June 14.

The former president's anti-Israel diatribes and Iran's controversial nuclear programme both contributed to its increased international isolation.

Published: 06 September 2013

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The Mexican government said recent release of the drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, implicated in the murder of U.S. drug agent Enrique Camarena, will not affect relations with EU. “We are certain that not affect”, both countries are seeking the same goal and that “the law is strictly enforced,” said Mexican Foreign Minister Rafael Caro Quintero, The Mexican government from Singapore, where he made an official visit. The Mexican government will seek a review of the court’s decision that allowed the release of Caro Quintero on August 9, after dismiss several cases against him, one of them for the abduction and murder of Enrique Camarena in 1985. “There is full conviction and full coordination around that and other matters” and therefore there will be no other impact on the bilateral relationship than the “point us to reinforce the importance of coordination and improvement,” he said.

After serving 28 of the 40 years of his sentence for drug trafficking and organized crime cartel founder left Guadalajara prison in the western state of Jalisco after a federal court to grant an injunction. The court ordered the immediate release of Caro Quintero after dismissing four criminal cases against him, including two for murder, an illegal deprivation of liberty and one for drug trafficking. In the case of the kidnapping and murder of Enrique Camarena and Mexican pilot Alfredo Zavala in February 1985, the case was dismissed because it was under federal jurisdiction, where appropriate to the regular courts. In his first statement on the bonnet release on Tuesday, the Foreign Minister said that “this particular case there was a failure attached to law” and announced that the prosecution would work “to correct”.

Published: 19 August 2013

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An attack as fierce as on 11 September 2001 fear the U.S. and world beat alarm. Military expert Albert Stahel considers that the risk for real, but still supported via the “strange” behavior of world power – and provides an explanation.
The U.S. government maintains its diplomatic missions closed for several days due to a terrorist alert in about 20 Islamic states. Background of the arrangements are possible attacks by the terrorist network Al Qaeda. According to U.S. Chief of Staff Martin Dempsey, the threat this time is “specific” than in previous cases.

According to the ABC News station terrorists should have said in a wiretapped conversation that the planned attack will be “large” and “strategic importance”. The Republican Saxby Chambliss, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, spoke of the serious terrorist threat for years. He spoke of concrete plans of individual terrorists to the United States are comparable to those before the attacks in September 2001.

Expert holds threat for real, U.S. behavior but irritated
The renowned Swiss security expert Albert Stahel, it is not surprising that the messages remain closed. In an interview with blick.ch he said: “This decision is certainly true, because the threat is real,” his estimation, Egypt is on the verge of collapse, the government threatens to collapse into itself.

The political situations in Syria and Libya are extremely dangerous for Americans. Because: “The U.S. mix with everywhere. Be it. Drone missions or with the support of generals or by rebels The dismissal of the elected Egyptian President Mursi should be done only with the okay from Washington. “Since it is only logical that threats from the Salafists and Al-Qaeda are pronounced.

Published: 07 August 2013

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Despite the confirmation of the sentence of one year in prison by the Italian Supreme Court for tax evasion, Silvio Berlusconi has sought today to reassure the public about the fate of the government of left-right coalition led by Enrico Letta.

The former prime minister delivered a speech to nearly a thousand supporters gathered outside his residence in Rome. He said that the government “must go forward,” while trying to defuse the tension. We said clearly and directly that the government should move forward, “he said.”The government must continue to adopt economic measures and we said clearly and directly that Parliament should proceed to vote these economic measures,” he continued.

Members of the party of the People of Freedom (PDL) Berlusconi had threatened to resign following the conviction of their leader, calling for a presidential pardon.  For its part, the left denounced the “threats and blackmail” ensuring prepare for any eventuality. The Prime Minister had said Letta wait statements Cavaliere to draw any consequences. But Silvio Berlusconi has preferred to play the card of appeasement and stand as essential for the protection of the government.  Under the slogan “Sunday in the streets for democracy and freedom,” the gathering was organized hastily by the PDL. Given the holiday and the scorching weather that prevails on the Italian peninsula, the event is considered successful.

Published: 06 August 2013

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Many life insurance companies promise their customers interest they cannot afford. That the first company to say goodbye to warranty policies, financial supervision is great – and warned: it might be tight for the insurance industry.

The Financial Regulator is behind the plans of the insurance industry to offer life insurance without lifetime warranties. “Given the low interest rates the insurer must act,” said the new head of insurance supervision at the Federal Institute for Financial Services Supervision (BaFin), Felix Hufeld, and the “Handelsblatt” on Tuesday. It is good that the industry working on new products and thus enable consumers more choice. The background: The market leader Allianz and Munich Re subsidiary Ergo offer since early July on life insurance policies for which the guaranteed interest rate no longer applies as usual until the contract expires. Instead, they provide – depending on capital market development – a flexible interest rate in view. Consumer advocates criticize the new models: they would the capital market risk pass on to the customer – at reasonable potential returns and high costs.

Published: 02 August 2013

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The U.S. wants to disclose details about the secret NSA wiretapping. A confidential court order that sets rules for the collection of U.S. phone data should be made public in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The reported several U.S. media, they rely on an unnamed government officials, senior. The Deputy Minister of Justice and the NSA chief, James Cole and John Inglis, will therefore occur in the committee.

The document concerns according to “Washington Post” a secret order to the U.S. telecommunications company Verizon of April, after which the group will deliver a variety of phone data. This was being done on the basis of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The U.S. government had the directive to Verizon now released. The statement was subject to the policy of the intelligence that the former NSA employee Edward Snowden was published in June.

His revelations of extensive American and British surveillance programs had caused worldwide outrage. U.S. intelligence agencies are also under pressure of the U.S. House of Representatives. In the past week the Republican Justin Amash had tried with a small group deputy from the right and left wings of the U.S. House of Representatives, with a legislative initiative to stop the rampant spying the NSA. They failed in the House of Representatives narrowly by twelve votes.

Published: 31 July 2013

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